Second Chances
by AliciaLily
Summary: Frank has made many important decisions in his life and always seems to come out unscathed. When he is faced with one of the toughest decisions of his life he finds himself torn in two different directions. My first posted fanfic, please review!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first (posted) fanfic and I'm a little nervous about it! I hope you all enjoy it! Leave me a note with any comments or questions you might have. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: It is with my deepest regret that I must admit I do not own the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew or any of the other wonderful characters I'm planning on borrowing from the books. Cheers!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter One**

The day dawned sharp and bright; one of those funny contradictions Mother Nature liked to throw out every once and awhile. The sun was strong and searing to the eyes and yet a bitter chill raced through jackets to bite greedily at shivering bodies.

Frank Hardy stood blowing on his cupped hands for warmth next to the van, waiting for his brother to come and unlock it. If Joe hadn't hid the keys last night, he would at least be inside the van and warm, instead of outside and freezing.

When Joe slammed out of the front door Frank rolled his eyes skyward, Joe was always running late, usually making his brother run late as well. "At the risk of sounding like Mom, we're going to be late…._again._" Frank stressed the last word.

"Don't worry about it," Joe replied and jumped into the front seat. When Frank was safely buckled in he swung out of the driveway and stepped on the gas, "with me behind the wheel, we'll get there in half the time."

"With you behind the wheel, we might not get there at all." Frank retorted and gripped the dashboard in front of him as Joe took a turn about 10 miles faster than Frank would have ever dared.

"Well brother, with YOU behind the wheel we wouldn't get there until tomorrow. You drive slower than old man Jacobs." Joe laughed when his brother swore under his breath. It was obvious Frank didn't like being compared to Mr. Jacobs, their high school History teacher. Joe always joked that Mr. Jacobs taught History because he had actually been there to witness it and was therefore the best qualified for the job.

The boys were in such a big rush because it was the last day of finals before winter break. Frank had an important presentation in his Civics class, which happened to be his first period of the day. He had made _sure _that Joe knew how important it was that they got to school on time last night at dinner. Frank glanced down at his watch and grimaced, they were cutting it way to close for the studious older brother's comfort. Joe, on the other hand looked relaxed and perfectly at ease.

When they finally careened into the school parking lot and found a spot, Frank had to admire his brother. They _had _made it to school in half the time, which meant he still had plenty of time to get to first period and look over his notes before class began. They walked into the school side by side, stopping halfway in to wait for Vanessa Bender, Joe's girlfriend to catch up with them. Joe hooked an arm around her shoulder, "are you excited for winter break?" he asked her, smiling wide.

"Of course! I can't wait to spend our first Christmas together!" With that, the trio walked through the front doors of Bayport High. They waved goodbye with Joe and Vanessa heading one direction and Frank heading in the other.

He was standing at his locker fiddling with the combination, when a sly voice spoke from right behind him, "I see you Frank Hardy. Turn around slowly and nobody will get hurt."

Frank grinned and turned around to face Callie Shaw, "Oh yeah? What did I do this time?"

"Oh, nothing that can't be forgiven if you get down here and give me a kiss hello." She smiled up at him as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss. He was smiling when he pulled away.

"So, ready for finals to be over?" he asked her.

"Always, I think they should ban finals all together." She laughed at his stunned expression and knew it was genuine. Frank had always been a fan of school and schoolwork, which was one of the many things she loved about him. When she noticed how many books he was putting in his locker, she looked at him quizzically "Uh, Frank? Why do you need so many books? It's the last day of the quarter!"

"Never can be too sure, I just want to be prepared." He took her hand in his as they made their way down the hall.

"Ah, the Frank Hardy I know and love. Always prepared, and always ready for anything. Are you sure you were never a Boy Scout?" she asked him.

"On my honor" he replied stoicly as he made the sign of the Boy Scouts. They both were laughing when they reached the door of her first class. He wished her luck and gave her a kiss before he hurried down the hall to his own classroom. _Only five minutes to review my notes..._he thought to himself as he found a seat near the door.

* * *

"Ugh, my brain is mush!" Joe complained loudly when he met Frank by the front doors of the school later that day.

"How many finals did you have today, little brother?" Frank asked as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

"Little brother? First, I'm not little, I'm only an inch shorter than you and I could take you in wrestling any day. Second, I had one final and it was devastating." Joe grumbled and moaned pathetically as they walked across the parking lot. Frank thought of the three finals he had done that day but remained quiet. He knew his brother well enough to realize that Joe needed this time to let off some steam.

"I think your talents are wasted on the Football field Joe, you should explore the art of theatre." Joe sent his older brother a glare as they climbed into the van.

"I'm going to ignore your last comment and instead take the high road and ask you how your presentation went."

"It went well, better than I expected." Frank replied. The boys drove out of the parking lot and headed towards home. "Oh, and I made arrangements with the girls to have pizza tonight, to celebrate the start of Winter Break, I figured you were probably free."

"Hey, I take offense to that! Maybe I had other plans! Maybe I was going to leave town tonight to track down a vicious mob boss on the streets of Chicago!" Frank chuckled at his younger brother's imagination and thought; it really WAS a shame that Joe had skipped out on Drama.

"Whatever, we all know you would never pass up an opportunity to see Vanessa."

"This is very true" Joe replied thoughtfully. "Well, I guess the mob boss can wait for another day. Tonight, I'm celebrating with my girl!"

* * *

Later that night Frank, Joe, Callie and Vanessa all sat at a booth over a steaming pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. "That looks like THE best pizza of all time." Vanessa inhaled deeply and sighed.

"Let's dig in!" Joe exclaimed and helped himself to three pieces of the pie.

"Ever heard of sharing, Joe?' Frank asked as he politely took one slice.

"It saves time if I just start with three, that way I don't waste valuable time reaching for a slice when I could be eating it." He explained around a mouthful of cheese.

"Good thinking, honey!" Vanessa commended and gave Joe a pat on the back before reaching for a slice. The four teens sat around talking and laughing, glad that they wouldn't have to worry about school for another two weeks.

"Callie, when are you leaving to visit your Aunt?" Joe asked.

"Monday morning" Callie replied. She was going to visit her Aunt and cousins in California for Christmas.

"Wow, and you won't be home until the day after Christmas, right?" Joe's mouth dropped open in mock surprise. "Why, Frank! How on EARTH are you going to survive without Callie for an entire week AND have her gone on Christmas?"

Frank laughed at his brother's antics and gave Callie's hand a squeeze. "I'm not sure, baby bro, but I'm sure glad I'll have you around to comfort me." The teens laughed and Frank pulled Callie into him and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "The truth is; I am going to miss you."

"I'll call you every day," Callie promised.

The look on Joe's face said that he was about to make some sort of silly remark but he was blessedly interrupted by the ringing of Frank's cell phone. Frank frowned down at the unknown number on the display before answering, "Hello, Frank here."

"Frank!" cried a feminine voice, "Frank, I'm so glad you answered! I'm so sorry; I wasn't sure who else to call," the voice sounded slightly frantic.

Frank sat in silence a few moments before he could find his voice, "Nancy? Nancy Drew, is that you?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading everyone! Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know it's a little weird to do the whole "One Hour Earlier" thing, but I needed to in order to set some things up for the rest of the story. I promise there won't be a whole lot of that going on. :)

For everyone who reviewed: Thank you so much for your kind reviews!! Nobody told me that my first reviews would be so intoxicating...I was so excited I worked on the story late into the night :)

KCS and LauraHardy: I've recently been reading a lot of Hardy Boys fan fics without Nancy, and I have to say...I'm starting to think that perhaps the absence of the girl detective isn't such a bad thing. :) I already have an idea for a fic without Nancy rolling around in my head. I might start it before too long...I do have an English paper that I'm just dying to procrastinate on! I've actually felt lately that I'm becoming a bit of a purist myself!

Roswalyn: Thank you so much for the nice review and helping me feel less nervous! I'm sorry about the wordiness of this chapter...and just as you complimented me for not going overboard! Hopefully it wasn't too bad. :)

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Two**

**One Hour Earlier...**

Nancy Drew sat on the couch in her living room, channel surfing and checking the clock over the fireplace every few minutes. She changed the channel yet again and a local news broadcast popped up. Her interest finally piqued, she sat up a little straighter and turned up the volume.

"It was a madhouse in Chicago today as court re-convened for the trial of Vincent Giamatti who is being charged with four counts of murder one and numerous counts of fraud and forgery. Mr. Giamatti has been notoriously linked with infamous crime group syndicates around the world. So far today, the jury heard testimony from over 45 witnesses. We'll be back with more updates to this story during our 11 o'clock broadcast."

Nancy turned the volume down as the news station went to a commercial break. Her thoughts strayed to what she had just heard. Her father, Carson had been working on the Giamatti case for over four months and it was his biggest and highest profile case right now.

Her father didn't talk much about his cases with Nancy, but she could tell that this particular case was taking its toll. She had come across Carson more than a few times going over his notes and muttering to himself. At one time he had smiled at her thinly and said: "honey, I think we're really going to get him. I really think we are."

Nancy glanced at the clock again and she furrowed her brow in concentration. She quickly calculated the time from Chicago to River Heights and factored in rush hour traffic...her father should have been home by now.

Because she had nothing better to do, Nancy felt her mind wandering back, as it had done thousands of times already, to her encounter with Ned not even a month ago.

"_Nancy, I went to a party last weekend."_

She had thought he was so silly, so cute, standing there in her living room confessing that he had gone to a party, like it was a big deal. She had been about to tease him when his next words hit her like a pile of bricks.

"_And...I met a girl, I mean, a woman."_

Nancy remembered standing there, not knowing what to say. _"It's not like that! I swear, nothing happened, Nancy! I love you!"_ He had hurled the words at her like an accusation. _"It's just, she listened to me, you know? Not once did we talk about mysteries or evidence or murder. It was _normal._ Jessie helped me realize how much I crave normality in my life."_

Even now, Nancy could hardly believe what Ned had said to her. Normality? She had always thought that, yes Ned was sometimes frustrated by what she chose to do but in the end he still loved her.

"_I just think we need to take a break. I need to examine my life, Nancy. I need to know what _I_ want."_

"_Well, that's just perfect. Good for you, Ned. You take your break, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to sit around here and wait to see if you're going to accept me for who I am" _Nancy had waited until Ned left to break down. She had cried for hours, not really wanting to talk to anyone. The next day Bess and George had come over with Ben and Jerry and they had passed an enjoyable afternoon trashing men and their very existence. The sugar overload and laughs had helped somewhat, but Nancy still felt hollow inside.

Even after a month, it still hurt.

The sound of the phone ringing snapped Nancy out of her reverie. She picked it up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Nancy?" her father's voice pushed all her bitter thoughts about Ned out of her mind.

"Dad! Where are you? You should have been home a long time ago!" she gripped the phone a little tighter, suddenly feeling anxious.

"Nancy, listen to me. Don't do what they tell you to do, no matter what. Do you hear me, Nancy? Don't do-" but he was cut off before he could finish what he was saying.

There was a loud crash on the other end of the line and she could hear shouting, someone was yelling at her father, "I told you to say exactly what we told you!" the voice raged. Suddenly that same voice picked up the phone, "Nancy Drew, is that you?" it asked.

"What have you done with my father!" Nancy sat up straight and gripped the receiver tighter to her ear.

"My dear Nancy, you're father has gotten himself into spot of trouble. Haven't you Carson?" there was some more scuffling in the background. "Now Nancy, I've heard you're quite the girl detective...solving all those little mysteries down there in River Heights. Well, now is your chance to run with the big dogs. You do something for me, solve a little problem I have and I'll let your father go. Should be no problem for a girl of your...skill."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to meet me tomorrow night at six, 19th and Lewis street. There's an old factory there, wait outside the red door for me."

"19th and Lewis street? There isn't a 19th and Lewis street in River Heights." Nancy said as she thought quickly about streets in her city.

"That's right!" the voice answered with approval. "I can already tell that this is going to be fun, you're such a smart girl. Because you're such a smart girl I'm going to give you a little help: 19th and Lewis street is not in Chicago or your quaint River Heights. It's in New York City." the voice sounded positively gleeful at the news.

"New York City?" she asked incredulously.

"Very good! I'll see you at six then, my darling!" there was a pause and Nancy thought that the man had hung up. She was about to do the same when his silky sweet voice caught her attention. "Oh and Nancy, I assume I don't have to tell a seasoned pro like yourself not to call the police, am I correct?"

"Yes, I understand." Nancy replied. She had barely gotten the words out when she heard the ominous click on the other end of the phone.

* * *

Frank sat in silence a few moments before he could find his voice, "Nancy? Nancy Drew, is that you?"

Joe stopped mid-bite and cheese dripped comically out of his mouth. He quickly slurped up the cheese and swallowed before he mouthed, "Nancy?"

"Who's Nancy?" Vanessa asked in a quiet voice.

"Old friend," Joe replied and then listened to Frank's side of the conversation.

"What time was the call?" Frank glanced at his watch. After listening for a few minutes he said, "Alright, we'll meet you there at one o'clock." He listened for another beat and then added, "and Nancy, don't worry, Joe and I have your back." He shut his phone and then glanced around the table.

"Well, what's up?" Joe asked.

"You might just have to track down that vicious mob boss after all, Joe." Frank laughed when he noted Joe's expression. Instead of horror, which would have been written all over most people's faces, Joe's face shone with excitement.

"Oh yeah? What kind of case is Nancy working on now?" Joe was all but bouncing up and down in the booth.

"Settle down, hun. I know it's been awhile since you've had a mystery to sink your teeth into..." Vanessa patted Joe's shoulder soothingly. In turn, Joe began to tickle Vanessa's sides.

During the exchange between the pair, Frank glanced at Callie who had been methodically tearing a napkin into thin strips. "You okay?" Frank asked gently.

Callie jerked her head up quickly. "Yes! Of course! Why wouldn't I be!" her voice was little too bright.

"Well, Frank...what's up?" Joe said, interrupting the couple.

"Nancy received a call tonight from an unknown man. Someone has her father and wants her to meet him at a warehouse in New York City tomorrow night."

"What? She can't go by herself! It's too dangerous!"

"I know, that's why I told Nancy that we're going with her. Her flight will land tomorrow at one o'clock. We're going to pick her up. She was pretty adamant about not telling the police, but I don't see the harm in telling Dad."

The group sat in silence for a minute, all stewing with their own thoughts. Vanessa couldn't help but notice that there was suddenly a lot of tension surrounding Frank and Callie. She wondered just who this Nancy person was and why she seemed to have upset Callie so much. She resolved to grill Joe about it later but in the meantime decided to change the subject.

"Did I tell you about my Math final today?" she asked the group. When three pairs of eyes looked at her with blank expressions she laughed. "Oh my, it was funny! Okay, so I'm sitting there and Mark raises his hand and in this very serious voice says 'I don't think you taught us how to solve the last four problems on this test, Mr. Fredericks.'" she laughed and took a sip of her drink, "Mr. Fredericks answers just as seriously, 'Well Mark, I don't think you bothered to show up for the last five classes. Which is when I taught you how to solve those problems.' The whole room was laughing and Mark just turned bright red. He mumbled something about being sick, but we all knew that he had been cutting class to smoke under the bleachers."

The four laughed and the tension slowly started to leave the group as Joe began his own wildly dramatic tale of his final. By the time the teens were ready to call it a night on the surface it seemed as if everyone had forgotten the awkwardness of earlier.

* * *

In a prison cell 800 miles away the man sat in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chest. He laughed wildly to himself and shook his head back and forth, it was all going according to plan. He had everyone exactly where he wanted them, all the pawns were in place and ready to be played.

It was a bit unfortunate that he was in his current predicament...but he'd find a way out. He always found a way...by whatever means necessary. Everything was right on track. The first thing that stupid Drew girl had done was call the Hardy brothers...as predictable as the sunrise. Yes, it was all going perfectly.

His maniacal laughter reverberated around the cell and sent shivers down even the most hardened of criminals spines.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It's frustrating to be hit with writers block TWO CHAPTERS into your story! :) I didn't have any problems with the MIDDLE of the chapter but I had no clue how to start it...or end it, or how long and how much of the story I should do. Hopefully I came up with something that makes sense. :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love getting all of your reviews and seeing what you guys are thinking about the story. I got so excited about them that after I got home from a girls night out I started writing the third chapter. Well, the next morning I got up, read what I wrote and couldn't believe it…it was awful! So, sorry for the delay but I had to start from scratch here. This chapter is a bit longer, so hopefully that makes up for it. :)

I wish I had time to write individual replies to your reviews, but I'm actually at work right now (eep, irresponsible I know!!). Please read and enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter Three**

Frank sat patiently in the hard plastic chair, reading an article in the newspaper about Blu-Ray technology. Joe sat, not quite as patiently, in the chair beside him reading _Car and Driver_. The boys were at the airport waiting for Nancy's flight to come in.

Joe closed his magazine for the fifth time and huffed in frustration, "you know, planes are supposed to be so great because they get people to their destinations faster, but it sure feels like all you ever do at the airport is wait."

"Patience, little brother." Frank murmured, half listening.

"Little brother" Joe mumbled under his breath, making Frank smile. The boys fell back into silence for a few moments before Joe said, "You know, Vanessa asked about Nancy."

This got Frank's full attention.

He slowly folded up the paper and turned to look at his brother. In a voice he hoped was nonchalant he asked, "Oh yeah?"

"Brother, if I need to learn patience you need to learn how to keep a better poker face." Joe laughed and stretched out his legs, "Yeah, she asked about Nancy. She was wondering about the tension between you and Callie last night."

"What tension? There was no tension." Frank shook his head and turned to face forward again.

"Uh-huh, yeah...anyway, I told her that you and Nancy had some history together."

Frank immediately thought back to a mission not that long ago, in Egypt. The night they had finally solved the case and he and Nancy had been standing on the balcony…he had kissed her. And the wonderful thing about it was, she had kissed him back.

He shook his head and tried to clear the images from his mind, both he and Nancy had agreed that it had been a mistake. His logical brain absolutely agreed, but there was this small part in the back of his mind that was saying _yeah, then why did it feel so right?_ He chuckled a little to himself at the clichéd thought.

"Frank! Earth to Frank!" Joe snapped his fingers in Frank's face, "Geez, you disappeared there for minute, bro. Where'd you go...Egypt?" Joe's sly smile wasn't missed by Frank and he gave his brother a punch on the arm.

"Knock it off, Joe. Nancy and I are just friends and always will be friends." Franks heart gave a little lurch at the words but he quickly squashed it. "Besides, Nancy is crazy about Ned and nothing has changed that in all the years we've known each other."

Joe frowned slightly, Frank sounded...resigned and a little bitter, something Joe wasn't used to hearing in his brother's voice. He sat back, momentarily at a loss for words, this time it was Frank who interrupted the silence.

"You know, I told Callie about Egypt." Frank murmured the words, like he was in confession.

"What about Egypt?"

"About the kiss." Frank mumbled. "She was pretty devastated."

"No wonder there was tension when Nancy called last night." Joe ran his hands through his hair and let out a low whistle.

"There was no tension!" Frank argued. He was about to add something else when his eyes caught sight of something over Joe's shoulder. "Nancy!" he cried and both of the boys stood up. Nancy walked up dragging her suitcase and gave Joe a big hug.

"Hey Joe!" she said and turned to Frank "and hello Frank." She pushed her hair out of her face and stood there awkwardly for a moment. When they both realized that Joe was staring at them they reached in and gave each other a quick hug.

Joe smiled to himself and watched the comical interaction. After a few moments of awkward silence Joe decided to take pity on the pair, "So, Nancy how was the flight?"

"Oh!" she gave Joe a look of relief as she finally tore her gaze away from Frank. "It was great, actually! I sat beside this old man the entire time and he was filled with a wealth of useless knowledge." Nancy knew she was babbling but she couldn't stop it, "Did you know that Continental airlines eliminated one olive from every first class salad on all of their flights and saved 40,000 dollars a year?" There, the word vomit parade had finally seemed to stop.

"Really? That's very interesting." Frank took one of Nancy's bags from her and the trio headed out of the airport. "Sounds like you had a very educational flight."

"Oh, I did." Nancy pushed her hair out of her face again. She wished she had been able to stop in the restroom before she had met up with the Hardy's. She must have looked like a scary homeless person. She hadn't had much sleep the night before and when she had finally fallen asleep she ended up sleeping way too long. The short of it meant no time for makeup or to even brush her hair, which meant less of a great 'I haven't seen you in a long time, you look GREAT' first impression, which is what she was hoping for.

The Hardy's led her to where they had parked the van and they all hopped in. On the freeway back to Bayport Nancy filled the Hardy's in on everything she knew about her father, which wasn't much. She had told Frank most everything on the phone last night, but for some reason sitting and talking about it seemed to help calm her frazzled nerves.

"So, your father has been working on the Giamatti case?" Frank asked her as he switched lanes.

"Yeah, for about four months I think." Nancy glanced at Frank. "You think this has something to do with that, too?" In the time that it took for Nancy to fly to New York she had thought of little else, it wasn't much of a coincidence that her father was kidnapped right at the crucial part of a major mob boss' trial.

"It's a definite possibility." Frank replied, looking grim.

"Giamatti runs his organization out of Chicago though, right?" Joe piped up from the backseat. "Don't you think it's a little strange he'd have you come all the way to New York when his playground is your backyard?"

"I suppose, but Giamatti has ties all over the world. Maybe New York has some relevance to what he wants me to do for him," Nancy replied.

"Well, hopefully we'll find out more tonight. In the meantime, Mom is really excited to see you again and I was thinking that before we head to New York we can run some things by Dad. We should have enough time to spend an hour or two in Bayport, get a plan together and then head to the city." Frank looked at Nancy, "sound good?"

"Absolutely," Nancy agreed and smiled a little to herself as she saw the first signs of Bayport. She wondered why, when she rarely came to the East Coast let alone Bayport, that the sight of the city should lift her spirits so much.

* * *

Four hours later found Nancy and Frank in yet another awkward situation. They were sitting in the van alone, without Joe to distract them.

The boys and Nancy had decided that they would take two cars to New York. Joe was currently parked on the other side of the warehouse while Nancy and Frank were waiting in the front. They figured it would be best if they could have both the front and rear exits of the warehouse covered.

_Why do I always seem to end up _alone_ with Frank?_ Nancy thought to herself as she pulled at a loose string on her jacket. On the ride to New York they had filled the silence talking about the different cases they had solved since the last time they had seen each other. Now that they were here however, they seemed to have run out of things to say.

"I still don't like the idea of you going in alone." Frank turned to look at her intently.

Nancy sighed inwardly; she had heard the argument many times already from both of the brothers. "Frank, we've been over this. The kidnappers called _me_ and specifically warned me not to tell the police. They probably wouldn't like the idea of me pulling in two of the top detectives on the East Coast."

"Still, I don't have to like it." Frank gripped the steering wheel in silence before he turned to smile at Nancy, "and what's this about "two of the top detectives on the East Coast'? I'm pretty sure Joe and I have got that title wrapped up for the entire nation."

"Wow, who knew you had such a big head, Hardy." Nancy laughed "You've got Joe and Joe has you, no wonder you guys solve a lot of mysteries. I typically work solo, with occasional help from George and Bess of course." She proceeded to tell him a story of how Bess had tried to 'help' during one of her last cases and had instead fallen for one of her prime suspects. Soon the pair was laughing and all of the awkwardness of earlier melted away.

Nancy could never really get used to the fact that her and Frank seemed to understand one another so perfectly. With Ned, her work had always been a bit of a sore subject between them. With Frank it was easy and not only when they were talking about chasing criminals. She immediately chastised herself over her thoughts; it wasn't fair to compare Ned and Frank.

It was hard not to though, her break-up with Ned was so fresh in her mind and talking to Frank was so comforting. She knew that Ned had never really understood her passion for solving mysteries and Frank did. She sighed to herself, frustrated. Frank was in love with Callie and she…well she wasn't with Ned anymore.

She found her gaze sliding over to look at Frank's profile, he was such a caring man and she knew he was in love with Callie. She sighed in frustration over her inner turmoil and chided herself for being such a girl. _He's probably thinking about the latest sports scores, or better yet…thinking about what we're actually here to do…which is not obsess about our love lives._

Little did she know that Frank's thoughts were running along the same lines as her own.

Nancy checked her watch again, "we have about 15 minutes before I'm supposed to be inside." She looked out the window and scanned the area around the warehouse. There had been no movement during the time they had sat there and Nancy was starting to feel antsy. They passed the last minutes in silence, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Wish me luck!" Nancy said when it was time to leave. She started to get out of the van when Frank stopped her by laying his hand on hers. She looked down at their hands before looking up at him.

"Nancy, I…" his voice trailed off as he tried to find the words to express what he wanted to say. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt like he should tell her everything he had been thinking since he had seen her again. That he was sorry about a lot of things but also not sorry for the same things. He couldn't find the words and so settled on giving her hand a squeeze, "be careful," he finished.

Nancy turned her hand over and linked hers with his before squeezing back, "I will." With that she hopped out of the van and headed towards the warehouse.

Frank watched Nancy as she headed across the street towards the warehouse; she was briefly illuminated by the dull street lamp making her hair shine like fire. He sighed to himself, _what am I thinking? What am I doing?_ His thoughts were way too dramatic for his taste. Nancy had been in town for a whole 4 hours and 52 minutes and he was already losing his head.

_Talking to her is so _easy.Frank thought to himself. _That's really all there is to it, Nancy understands all parts of me, while it seems Callie just deals with it because she has to._

He watched as Nancy opened the door she was told to enter. She glanced back at Frank and their eyes met before she ducked quickly inside.

* * *

Nancy walked down the dark corridor of the warehouse's main floor, not sure which direction she should go in. She looked quickly in each of the rooms she passed but each one turned up empty. She finally came to a closed door. She quickly learned that it lead to the main warehouse. Boxes and boxes lined the sides of the huge room and a large crane was suspended from the ceiling. The dust that lined the floors indicated that the warehouse hadn't been used in awhile.

She let her eyes grow accustomed to the dark lighting and started to slowly circle the room. She was just about to give up on her search when her cell phone started to ring. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Flipping it open she said, "Hello?"

"Nancy, my dear girl! I see you have reached the warehouse just fine."

"Where are you?" she couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice.

"Oh, I'm here and there. I was surprised at you Nancy."

"Oh, how so?"

"I thought for sure it would take you a few hours to contact the Hardy brothers but in fact it took about 45 minutes!"

"How do Frank and Joe tie into this?"

"Oh, they don't really…and neither do you. I just thought it a rather funny trick, that the daughter of the chief lawyer on the Giamatti case fancied herself a detective."

"Then what do you want from me?"

"What I want is for you to meet a friend of mine on Pier 91 by 7 o'clock tonight. He will have some information for me. I would like you to retrieve it and wait for me to contact you."

"Why don't you just do all of this yourself? Why involve me or my father, or the Hardy's for that matter, at all?"

"Oh, I do hate to get my hands dirty and it's so much more fun to do it this way, don't you think?" Nancy was about to respond when he cut her off. "Nancy darling, as much as I enjoy speaking with you, I have to say, you had better get going. Your father would appreciate it if you had a timely manner about you, I'm sure. I do get bored easily and he is so much fun to _play_ with."

Nancy's stomach churned at the the man's last words. She didn't like being used as a pawn in some sort of sick game, but what choice did she have when it concerned her father's well being?

* * *

**I hope this wasn't too confusing, I felt a little confused writing it. :) Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry this update took me so long, it's a little longer than the other chapters so hopefully that will help make up for my tardiness.

Once again, thank you for all of the great reviews. It's the reviews that continue to motivate me to write, so thank you all so much! I already have the next chapter after this one completed, so look for an update in the next day or two. Enjoy!

I haven't done one of these in awhile so…Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be great if I owned Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys? Well, I don't own them…I just like to borrow them every once and awhile, but I promise to give them back!

Second Chances

Chapter Four

Joe, Frank and Nancy sat waiting on the darkened pier, the only light provided by the full moon making its slow ascent into the night sky. Joe paced restlessly back and forth, "I don't like this, I don't like this at all." He grumbled and spun quickly around to face Nancy and Frank. "Why aren't you guys more upset? This entire thing is messed up! We're being used to track down who knows what kind of information for a guy we know _nothing about_. I don't like being used and you guys are just sitting there." He paused and looked at Nancy incredulously, she was smiling. "Are you _smiling? _You're smiling! I can't believe it!" He threw his hands up in frustration.

"Sorry Joe, I don't think this is a funny situation at all. I'm just thinking about how much I've missed you two the last few months." Nancy stood up and put a calming hand on Joe's shoulder. "I'm right there with you Joe, I don't like being put into this situation either, but they have my Dad."

"Don't worry, Nancy. We'll figure this out." Frank tried for a smile and Nancy smiled thinly back. All three of them turned when they heard a car approaching. They were soon standing in the light of a large black car's headlights. Nancy raised an arm to shield her eyes and get a better look at who was in the car.

The driver stepped out and walked over to the group, Nancy could sense both Joe and Frank tense up beside her as they stared at the man. Wordlessly he lifted up his hand and they noticed he held a small disk. "Here" he pushed the disk at Frank, his voice sounding rusty, as if he didn't use it very often.

Frank took the disk, "Who are you?" he asked.

The man simply smiled and walked back to the car. He opened the car door and looked back at the trio, "Wait for instructions, expect a call tomorrow." With that, he got back into the car and drove off.

"Well." Nancy let out a deep breath a few moments later. "Well, that was certainly odd." She glanced at Joe who was still staring at the spot where the car had disappeared, looking puzzled.

"Oh yeah," Frank agreed. "I think it's safe to say we've never worked on a mystery quite like this one." He looked at the disk he held in his hand, "I vote we hightail it back to Bayport and see what this disk has on it."

"Sounds good, I'm starving. Do you think Mom saved us any leftovers from dinner?" Joe rubbed his stomach dramatically and climbed back into the car.

"Don't worry Joe, Mom knows her son well." Frank chuckled and started the car.

"I'm a growing boy, I need my nutrients!" Joe pulled his cell phone out as it started to ring, "Hey babe!" and he started into a very spirited telling of the nights events.

Frank laughed and glanced over at Nancy, who was sitting in the front seat next to him, she was staring out the window with a look of worry on her face. "It's okay Nance, we'll find him" Frank murmured.

She turned to gaze at Frank, "between the three of us, we do have a pretty good return rate, huh?" she smiled but her voice was filled with concern. "I just hope he's okay." She looked forward again and Frank could see in her eyes just how worried she was.

Even through all that worry, Frank couldn't help but think that Nancy was incredibly beautiful.

* * *

"I don't think my computer skills are enough to help us figure out what is on this disk," Frank sighed a few hours later. On returning to Bayport the boys and Nancy had attempted to find out what was on the disk but so far they had no such luck. "It's encrypted and it's encrypted well." Frank's hair was standing on end from all of the times he had run his hands through it in frustration, Nancy thought it was adorable.

"Too bad we don't know an even bigger super genius than you, Frank." Joe said from his position on Frank's bed. He had taken to lying down and tossing a basketball in the air about 2 minutes into the process, declaring he would be more help lying down than trying to pretend he knew anything Frank was talking about.

"Don't you guys have a friend whose favorite pastime is hacking into government computers? Bill…P, something?" Nancy asked.

Frank and Joe exchanged a look and laughed, "I can't believe we didn't think of Phil!" Frank smiled at Nancy enthusiastically and picked up his phone. He dialed a number and waited for an answer. "Phil! Hey man, I know it's late, but could you do me a huge favor?" there was a pause; Nancy assumed Phil had replied positively because then Frank said, "great, thanks! I have this disk and I'd really like to know what's on it. Can we bring it over?" another pause, "Great, we'll drop it off." Frank closed his phone and Joe sat up into a sitting position on Frank's bed. "Phil said he'd take a look at it."

"Great, I'll drop it off." Joe hopped off the bed and reached for the disk.

"Wow, you're pretty enthusiastic Joe. This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that a certain girl lives between here and Phil's, would it?" Frank teased.

"I haven't seen her in over twenty-four hours!" Joe clutched his chest. "My poor little heart is not used to the stress."

Frank rolled his eyes, "Joe…I'm really starting to think you missed your calling as a Thespian."

Joe glared at Frank and walked to the door. Halfway out into the hall he turned and looked at Frank, "Don't. Be. Jealous," with that Joe left leaving Nancy laughing and Frank shaking his head.

"So, I take it you two are talking about Vanessa." Nancy looked questioningly at Frank.

Frank nodded his head, "Yeah. After Iola died Joe was….well, not Joe. He went around for months just seeming to go through the motions, you know? Anyway, after Vanessa entered his life I started to see the old Joe again. She seemed to draw out the best in him and know exactly what he needed to finish healing. I got my brother back." He murmured and looked down at his hands, he looked back up into Nancy's green eyes. After a pause he said, "they're good together."

The silence that hung in the air was heavy. Nancy couldn't understand what Frank's warm brown eyes were trying to tell her. Was he talking about himself and Nancy or Vanessa and Joe? Nancy laughed at herself; her rare streak of romantic was sure shining through tonight. He was talking about his brother, of course.

"I'm glad;" she replied "He seems really happy."

"He is," Frank continued to stare at her and Nancy couldn't help but look away from his intense gaze. "Nancy," Frank murmured and leaned closer to her, she looked back at him. "Why does this always happen?"

"Why does what always happen?" Nancy asked and got up from her seat, she suddenly couldn't sit down any longer.

"You and I," Frank stood up too but stayed where he was. He watched as Nancy walked over to the window and stared down onto the darkened street.

"Frank, I don't know why…" her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words.

"Things always seem to come between us, don't they?" At the regret in Frank's voice Nancy turned to face him. "You're in love with Ned," Nancy shook her head and started to tell him what had happened when he continued, "and I'm in love with Callie."

Nancy stopped and looked up at Frank; his deep brown eyes showed the confusion he was feeling. He looked so lost and uncertain; Nancy couldn't bring herself to correct his assessment of her feelings towards Ned. Hadn't he just said he was in love with Callie? Nancy sighed, "Yes, that seems to be the problem, doesn't it?"

Nancy started towards the door, she needed to get out of there before she did or said something they both might regret. "Nancy," Frank's voice stopped her and she glanced back at him. Suddenly Frank couldn't think of what to say. "Sleep well," he finished instead.

"You too." She closed the door quietly behind her and walked down the hall to the guest room.

* * *

Nancy spent the following morning with Fenton and Joe, who proudly showed off the '67 Mustang they had been restoring together with Frank. As for Frank, he had been conspicuously absent from the group all morning and Joe was starting to wonder what had happened after he left the night before. When Laura Hardy came to rescue Nancy from any more demonstrations on how great the engine purred, Joe went upstairs in search of his brother. He found him, sitting in his room staring at a blank computer screen.

"Hey," Joe leaned against the doorjamb and thrust his hands into his pockets. "Finished solving the problems of the universe yet?"

Frank jerked and looked around at Joe, "You startled me."

"Startled? What is this, 1878?" Joe teased and pushed himself up off the doorframe. He went and threw himself onto Frank's bed.

"Make yourself at home," Frank grumbled and thought to himself, _I just made that bed._

"What's going on with you, Frank?" Joe asked kicking off his shoes, "Did something happen last night with you and Nancy?"

"No!" Frank replied, a little too quickly. When Joe raised his eyebrows in surprise Frank sighed, "Well, nothing really. We just talked and as usual came to the same conclusion." When Joe didn't say anything, Frank just said: "Ned. Callie."

"Ah," Joe nodded. His poor brother had been having this war with himself for a long time. "Frank, who do you _want_ to be with."

"I…." Frank trailed off. "That's what I've been asking myself since last night. I mean, I've been with Callie for so long and she's wonderful. Pretty, smart and I do love her. I do." Frank glanced at Joe, "and then there's Nancy. She's also smart and beautiful and she truly understands me. I never get the feeling that, when I'm talking she's just listening to listen. You know what I mean? With Nancy she's listening because she wants to and she's interested. I sometimes feel like Callie doesn't really hear me."

Joe was quiet for a minute before he decided to speak, "Frank, you're my big brother and I love you. You always seem to have the right answer to everything. Even when I disagree with you, your logical brain has already thought through all of the possibilities and has come to the right decision." Joe paused, trying to find the right words before continuing. "Maybe this time you shouldn't follow what your brain is trying to tell you." It was silent for a moment while Joe's words sunk in. Joe stood up and clapped Frank on the back, "and if that doesn't work you could always become a monk."

Frank laughed and then looked up at Joe, "thanks, little brother."

"Any time, old man" Joe replied and left the room grinning.

_Well,_ Frank thought to himself, _what now?_ He was snapped out of his reverie by his ringing phone, "Hello?" he answered.

"Frank, hi!" Callie's enthusiastic voice came over the line.

"Hey, Callie. What's going on?"

"I was just wondering when I was going to see you, I leave tomorrow morning you know."

"Oh, right. Of course," Frank had completely forgotten that Callie was leaving for California. "Sorry, I've just been working on this case."

"With Nancy," Callie said. She didn't have to say anything else, Frank could hear that she was upset by her tone of voice.

"Yeah, listen. I could come over now if you'd like. I have your Christmas present."

"Oooh, is it shiny?" she asked teasingly.

Frank thought of the necklace he had bought her and smiled, "absolutely not, in fact I'd call it downright practical." Callie laughed. He looked up as the door to his room opened.

"Frank, your mom said that lunch-" Nancy stopped when she saw he was on the phone. She grimaced and motioned downstairs before she left again.

There was silence on the other end of the phone before Callie murmured, "I guess I should have realized she'd be staying with you guys." Frank sighed when he realized that Callie had heard Nancy.

"Callie, it's not like that at all. I mean, my parents are here."

"I know, it's just…can you blame me?"

"No," Frank swallowed the guilt that was quickly rising up from his gut. "Look, Callie…"

She cut him off, "Actually Frank, maybe you should just call me later."

"Yeah, okay. I will." Frank hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead. What was he supposed to do now? He let out a growl of frustration when the phone rang again. "Yeah?"

"Tsk, tsk. Is that any way to address an old friend?" the voice was edged in silk.

"Hm, our Mystery Man. What can I do for you?" Frank asked, trying to appear calm.

"I want that information. This afternoon, four o'clock. Meet me out on Old Filbert Road, by the abandoned Stevenson barn."

"Are you going to bother showing up this time around?" Frank's voice dripped with sarcasm.

The man let out a bark-like laugh, "My dear boy, I knew I'd like you. See you then!" and with that, the phone clicked and he was gone.

* * *

"This time you three aren't going by yourselves," Fenton said. They were sitting in his office talking about what they were going to do. The meet was supposed to occur in just over an hour. "You need to get the disk back from Phil, Sam and I will follow behind you and cover you for backup. We don't know who this guy is, but there's no point in going in unprepared."

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Phil, "Hey guys!"

"Phil, we were just about to call you." Frank stood up to go to his friend. Phil handed him the disk.

"That is one well protected disk," Frank sighed at the letdown, now they would have to turn over the disk without being sure of what it said, "However," Phil continued, "I was able to get to some of the information. I printed what I found." He handed Frank a folder.

Frank sat down and set the folder on Fenton's desk. With Joe and Nancy reading over his shoulder he opened the folder and began to scan its contents. "This is weird," he muttered, "It looks like a stalker's paradise of information on Vincent Giamatti." He flipped the page, "look at this, it lists his shoe size, rumored favorite color, how much time he spends on average at home."

"Everything I recovered from that disk was information like that, right down to the amount of time he spends in the bathroom." Phil shook his head, "My bet is that the rest of the disk is like that too, but why go to all the trouble of such a powerful encryption if you're just going to use the information to make a shrine to someone somewhere?"

"Good question," Frank muttered, why _would_ someone go to all of the trouble? Something wasn't making sense and it didn't sit well with Frank. _What are we missing?_

"Thanks Phil, we really appreciate it," Joe said.

"No problem guys, call anytime you need something."

After Phil left Fenton leaned back in his chair, "Well as strange as that information is, it makes me less worried about handing it over to whoever this guy is. Let's make the exchange and worry about the why's and who's later. For now, let's focus on getting this thing over with."

* * *

"I'm getting really sick of answering to this guy's beck and call," Joe kicked at the dirt driveway of the old Stevenson barn. "I prefer being the one who calls the shots."

The group walked toward the barn and Frank and Joe worked to open the rusted door. They stepped inside and looked around, thin shafts of sunlight filtered through where boards were missing and chunks of the roof had collapsed. Frank couldn't help by feel slightly apprehensive as they stood there in the dim light. He was glad to know that Sam and his dad were at the back of the building, waiting to come to the rescue if it called for it.

They heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway and pull to a stop in front of the building, car doors slammed and they were soon joined by a trio of men. Two of them were holding a fourth man up between them. Nancy gasped when she recognized her father.

The third man stepped forward into the light, he had prominent cheekbones and his jet black hair was slicked back off his high forehead. "I'm so glad to finally meet you all." He clapped his hands together, "shall we get down to business, then?"

"Let go of my dad and then we can talk," Nancy stared daggers at the man.

"Now now, Ms. Drew. We haven't yet been introduced. I'm Gabriel DiMeo and I'm a bit of a Giamatti enthusiast. It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face."

"We don't care about your sicko obsession with a criminal, just tell us what the point of all this running around is." Joe growled.

"My dear Joe, the answer to that is quite simple." Gabriel smiled showing his perfect white teeth, "I wanted to give you three a chance to work together one last time."

"Last time?" Frank asked.

"That's right, Frank" Gabriel rubbed his hands together in anticipation, "I wanted to give you one last time to play detective because I was sent here to kill you, Frank."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so a '67 Mustang might not be the car the boys would pick to rehab, but I've always wanted one….so, author's privilege! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry guys, I told you that this would be posted yesterday…but I hated what I wrote, so I had to re-write it. Hopefully this is a better version of what I had.

Leila91: Thanks for pointing that out…I'm not sure how to go back and fix it without re-posting the entire chapter…but if I figure it out I'll change it. Hopefully if I refer to Nancy's eyes again, nobody will remember that I once said they were green. :)

Whitetigers: What a great review!! I'm glad you appreciate the Joe humor; I've always loved that about him. I agree about Callie…I never really liked her either…mostly because I couldn't understand why Frank would stay with someone who wasn't all that nice to Joe.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing!! It's so much fun to see what you guys are thinking about the story. :) This chapter is a long one and moves kind of fast, but I hope you enjoy it!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 5**

Gabriel DiMeo laughed gleefully at the stunned expressions in front of him. "You are surprised. Lovely."

"Just what kind of sick game are you playing?" Joe asked aggressively. His angry stance covered up his rapidly beating heart; his worry for his brother had skyrocketed.

"Game? I see no game." DiMeo lifted his hands up in a gesture that spoke of aloofness. "There is no game here, I was told to kill Frank and so I shall." He pulled a gun out of one of his pockets and aimed it straight at Frank. Nancy watched in horror as DiMeo squeezed the trigger, the gun blast was so loud Nancy had to cover her ears.

"Frank!" Nancy yelled as she saw him fall to the barn floor in a motionless heap.

The next few moments seemed to occur at the same time. Joe couldn't figure out which event had happened first, but all of a sudden his father and Sam had rushed in behind DiMeo and knocked the gun out of his hand. Before Joe could see if Frank was okay, the two men who had been holding up Nancy's father rushed forward. Nancy immediately began to fight with the one on the right. Joe shrugged and looked at the one in front of him, "looks like it's you and me pal." The man just grinned, showing a gold front tooth.

Joe knew that the man probably had a good 80 pounds on him, but he also knew that weight could be a real weakness. They circled each other again, "Enough dancing!" Joe cried out in frustration and rushed forward. He slammed the thug in the midsection, knocking him off balance.

Joe struggled with his opponent before he was able to crack his head hard enough on the floor to knock him out. Joe struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip, he took a quick assessment of the situation and seeing that his father and Sam seemed to have DiMeo under control he went to help Nancy. Just as he was about to step in to lend a hand, Nancy delivered a punch to the man's face and he went down. "Good one, Nan." Joe rushed over to his brother as Nancy reached down and helped her father to his feet. Aside from a large bruise forming under his right eye, Carson seemed to be otherwise uninjured.

"Is he okay, Joe?" Fenton called from where he was handcuffing DiMeo.

Joe reached Frank and noticed the blood staining the sleeve of Frank's jacket, "Frank!"

"Not a big deal," Frank muttered trying to catch his breath and struggling to sit up "Just a….flesh wound," he grinned weakly.

"Flesh wound, huh?"

"I knocked the…breath out…of…myself…when I…fell." Frank slumped back down onto the floor and turned to inspect his bleeding arm. "I'll probably need a…band-aid."

Joe could hear his father calling for an ambulance and police back up, help would arrive soon.

"Frank," Nancy came over and knelt down beside him, "are you alright?"

Seeing Nancy's eyes full of concern for him made Frank feel lightheaded, and not from his loss of blood, "yeah, I'm good. Here, help me sit up."

"Maybe you should just stay put until the ambulance gets here." Nancy suggested, taking in his pale face and pained expression.

"No, I'm fine." Frank struggled for a minute to sit up, when he got to his feet he swayed for a minute before Nancy came over to steady him.

"Stubborn Hardy's." she muttered and put his arm around her shoulders.

Frank looked up and saw Carson smiling at him, "Good to see you, sir."

"And you."

Frank was amazed that the man still looked so put together after two days of captivity. Sure, the fancy lawyer suit he wore was dirty and rumpled, but the man still radiated power and authority.

Fenton walked up to inspect Frank's shoulder, causing Frank to gasp in pain when his father's prodding finger hit just the wrong spot, "The ambulance should be here soon, son." As if on cue sirens began to sound in the distance and soon the place was surrounded by emergency personnel.

Frank was looked at by the paramedics and in spite of his protests told he would have to ride in the ambulance to the hospital. He was helped up into the back of the cab and Fenton followed, "we'll be right behind you."

"I still think I could go in a regular car," Frank pouted.

One of the techs grinned at him, "If you're a good boy, we'll turn on the siren."

Fenton chuckled as the last EMT was getting ready to board; he glanced at Mr. Drew who was standing off to the side with Nancy. "You know sir, you should really get checked out too."

"Don't worry, he will be." Nancy said firmly. "We're heading to the hospital, too." The EMT nodded and got into the ambulance.

Her father chuckled as he looked down at his daughter, "It's just a bruise honey. That and my poor Italian leather shoes will never be the same."

"Dad, I am so glad that you're okay!" Nancy cried and threw herself at him for a big hug. All of the relief over finding her father and her fear for Frank came flowing out of her and she began to shake.

"Honey, don't worry, I'm fine." Carson ran his hand over her hair and waited for her to look up at him, "Frank is going to be fine, too."

* * *

An hour later and the group still sat, waiting restlessly for news on Frank's condition. The only thing they had been told was that he had been sent to surgery to remove the bullet and they would be informed when he was out and able to receive visitors.

Laura, who had met them at the hospital, and Fenton sat off to the side away from the group. Joe sat watching them sit quietly together. His father's arm was around his mother's shoulders, his other hand clasped in hers. They had their heads bent together and he seemed to be whispering her words of comfort. She laughed weakly at something he said and Fenton drew her closer to place a kiss on her temple. _I want that, _Joe thought to himself, _and I think I've found it in Vanessa, but what about Frank? Has he found it in Callie, or Nancy?_

Joe couldn't help but glance over at Nancy, who was sitting next to her father and then over at Callie, who had arrived shortly after the group had gotten to the hospital. They were two very different women and yet they were both strong and smart. Joe felt he had a small bias towards Nancy, because they had always gotten along so well, whereas he and Callie had not.

Joe's musings were interrupted when the door of the waiting room opened and Dr. Jacobson entered. Dr. Jacobson had helped cure the boys of many ailments; cuts, scrapes and bruises. "Laura, Fenton" he said and approached the worried parents. They stood up together, still holding hands. "Frank's out of surgery and doing fine, it was not really a very complicated surgery. You will be able to go in and see him, but I'm afraid he'll be asleep for awhile. For right now we're going to restrict it to only two visitors at a time, please."

"Thank you, John." Fenton shook the doctor's hand and turned to give his wife a hug. The doctor left and Fenton turned to look at his son, "Would you like to go first, Joe?" Fenton knew that the relationship between his two boys was a strong one and knew that Joe would remained worried about his big brother until he had proof that he was okay.

"It's okay, you two can go first." Joe wanted nothing more than to go and see if Frank really was okay, but he knew that his parents were just as worried as he was, he could see it written all over his mother's face.

Fenton and Laura nodded and left the room together, the silence that followed their departure was deafening. Joe dropped his head in his hands and sighed. Nancy could see Joe's inner struggle in the way he held himself. She knew that he was still worried and was having a hard time letting himself feel relieved. She got up and moved to sit next to him, putting her hand on his back in comfort.

"You'll be able to see him soon, Joe." He looked up at her and smiled weakly. She knew that the right thing to say wasn't 'It will be okay'. Joe hadn't seen Frank for his own eyes yet and so didn't want to hear that it was okay until he was _sure_ that it would be.

"Thanks Nan." Joe reached up and grabbed her hand resting on his shoulder. He looked at Callie and was surprised to see an angry expression on her face. It was obvious that she was upset about his and Nancy's interaction. Could it be that she was jealous of how close Joe was to Nancy and not to her? Joe shrugged it off and went back to concentrating on the ER door. As soon as his parents were back he was going to check on Frank. It was the only thing his brain had room to think about right now.

Ten minutes later and it was Joe's turn to see his brother. He could sense that Callie wanted to go with him, but he was glad that she decided to let him go alone. When he found his brother's room, he carefully opened the door and shut it quietly behind him.

The sight of Frank lying on a hospital bed was always a shock to Joe. He would never get used to seeing his older brother that way. Joe sat down in the chair next to Frank's bed and wondered what he should do.

He was spared from making awkward, one-sided conversation when Frank began to stir, "Frank?" Joe leaned forward to see his face better.

"Joe?" Frank mumbled, his voice hoarse.

"Hey." Joe sighed in relief as he saw Frank slowly opening his eyes. "Old man, you went and got yourself shot."

"I didn't…." Frank tried to lift his arm but winced in pain, "…get myself shot. That psycho aimed the gun and fired." As an afterthought he added, "And I'm only a year older than you are Joe. If I'm an old man, you are too."

Joe laughed, finally allowing himself to feel relieved. If Frank was making bad jokes, then the world had returned to normal. "I'm just glad you're okay." Joe said sincerely.

"Yeah, me too," Frank closed his eyes again, "Man, I can't seem to keep my eyes open."

"It's okay, you should get some rest anyway," Joe stared at his brother for a minute and realized that he had fallen asleep.

Joe stood up and made his way to the door, Frank's sleepy voice stopped him. "Tell her…" he trailed off and Joe turned back.

"What's that?" Joe leaned down to hear Frank better, thinking he had a message for Callie, "Do you want me to tell Callie something?"

Frank's breathing evened out and Joe was sure he was asleep again and turned once again to head out the door. He slowed and looked back at his brother when he heard Frank mumble a single word in his sleep. Nancy. Joe stood still for a moment, trying not to read too much into the words his brother had mumbled in his drug-induced state. He left just as quietly as he had come and made his way back to the waiting room.

* * *

The next day, Frank insisted on leaving the hospital and going home. He knew that he was being kept out of the loop as far as Gabriel DiMeo went and he thought he'd have better chances of knowing what was going on if he were at home.

Also, he hadn't talked to Nancy since before the excursion to the barn and he was starting to feel panicky about it. He had seen her twice, she had come to see him after he was allowed more visitors but she was always with a large group of people. He wanted to see her alone.

As he walked up the driveway to his house he glanced up at the guestroom window, he knew that she was up there packing. She and her father were going to check into a hotel now that Carson had been found. He didn't know what he wanted to tell her, but he knew that they needed to talk.

"Now Frank, Dr. Jacobson said you had to lay yourself down and not move. Those were his conditions on letting you leave the hospital." Laura followed Frank and Joe, who was helping support Frank, into the house.

"I know, Mom." Frank grunted as Joe carefully led his brother over to the couch and helped him sit down. Frank reclined back and closed his eyes. The walk from the car to the house had taken a lot out of him.

"Lay down Frank."

Frank opened his eyes and saw his mother standing over him, her hands on her hips. She stood where she was until Frank sighed, "Alright, alright," he had a hard time of it, but with a little help from Joe and his mother he was soon settled comfortably on the couch. His mom set about tucking a blanket in around him, taking care around his arm. Laura left the room to leave Joe and Frank sitting in silence, Frank trying to get his breath back.

Fenton walked out of the hallway that led to the addition he had made on the house. Right now it held Hardy Investigations, but he hoped that someday it would house Hardy _and Sons_ Investigations. "I'm glad to see you home, Frank." Fenton walked over and sat down in the chair opposite him and Joe took a seat by the fireplace, "how are you feeling?"

Frank couldn't hold his questions in any longer, "Fine, Dad, where are we on DiMeo? Who was he working for? He said he was sent here to kill me. Why me? Who sent him? What did he want with that disk? Where do we go from here?" Frank let all of the questions that had been rolling around in his head since yesterday out in a large breath.

"Frank, I think you should try and get some rest before…" Fenton started, but Frank interrupted him.

"Dad!" Frank exclaimed in disbelief.

Fenton chuckled, but his eyes became immediately sober. He exchanged a look with Joe before looking back at Frank, "a lot has happened since yesterday, Frank."

"And?" Frank was really starting to get frustrated, a trait he more commonly attributed to his brother. His father was about to answer when Nancy descended the stairs carrying her suitcase.

"Nancy, we were just about to fill Frank in on the events of the last 24 hours," Fenton announced, Nancy winced and sat herself down next to Joe.

She smiled at Frank, "Good to see you at home." She told him.

"WHY does everyone look so…unsettled?" Frank looked around at all of the grim faces staring back at him. "Somebody speak!"

"Well son, I'll start with your first question." Fenton tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, "We're not very far on DiMeo, because he's dead."

"WHAT!" Frank was so shocked he sat up quickly, causing a massive jolt of pain in his arm. He gasped loudly and Nancy rushed over to help him lay back down.

"Frank…" her voice trailed off as she settled him back down on the couch. She perched herself down by his feet, in case he tried to sit up again.

"Gabriel DiMeo died late last night at the county jail." Fenton informed his son. Before Frank could interrupt, Fenton plowed on. "Due to an unfortunate miscommunication between local and state police, DiMeo was transferred to the county jail before being questioned by police. He wasn't at the county jail more than two hours before they found him dead in his cell. He apparently suffered a heart attack; no one was around to hear him cry out. We have no idea who he was working for, if anybody." Fenton raised his hand to silence Frank, "I know what he said, son. But DiMeo was insane; we can't take the word of a madman at face value. As far as the police are able to find, DiMeo was working for himself. He wanted the disk full of information on Giamatti because he idolized the man. Somehow, he drew the conclusion that Giamatti would notice and appreciate his game if he used Nancy, whose father is the chief prosecutor on the case, to get that information. It was all an elaborate scheme by a deranged man to get the attention of Giamatti, whom he idolized. As for why he chose to shoot you, well...we can only assume that's because of Nancy. It would cause her a lot of...distress." Joe squirmed awkwardly in his seat.

After Fenton's speech Frank let out a slow breath and stared at the ceiling. He tried to wrap his mind around all of the information he had just been told, but somehow he kept coming around to the fact that he could feel Nancy sitting just inches away from him. He let out another breath and looked back at his father.

"That doesn't sound right. He just _happened_ to die of a heart attack? He looked pretty healthy to me."

"The coroner announced that he officially died of natural causes. As for the rest of it, the stalker image makes plausible sense," Fenton shook his head, "without anything else indicating different, it looks like its case closed."

Frank looked at Joe, "Joe, you can't possibly think that it's as easy as that."

"Well, Frank…we've solved easier." Joe shrugged.

Frank looked to Nancy for support, "Nancy?"

"I don't know Frank. Both the police and the FBI, at least what the FBI will tell us, say that they can find absolutely no connections between Giamatti and DiMeo."

"But, it's only been 24 hours! They can't possibly know that!" Frank ran the hand on his uninjured arm through his hair.

"Apparently, they can. The FBI has been tracking DiMeo for some time, just as a precautionary measure. Apparently he's been trying to write Giamatti in prison. Giamatti refuses mail from anyone and so his mail is opened…well, anyway." Joe looked away at the look of total disbelief on Frank's face.

"Look, Frank. We're just as confused as you are, but you have to admit. It works out." Fenton looked at his oldest son.

"Why didn't you guys just tell me all of this as it was happening, I could have had the same amount of time to process this as you guys." Frank looked at his father, then Joe and finally Nancy in turn.

"Well, you did sleep a lot." Joe tried for a smile from Frank but failed.

"We just thought it was better that you concentrate on resting and then getting home," Nancy supplied and laid her hand on his leg in comfort, "we had your best interests in mind." She whispered. Her soft words had the calming effect everyone wanted to see on Frank.

"Fine. So, is it really case closed? It's over?" he felt slightly panicked. He had only had Nancy in his life for a few short days. He hadn't nearly thought his feelings all the way through yet, he still had things he wanted to say to her.

"Yes, it's over." Nancy looked down at him and dropped the bomb, "I'm actually flying home tomorrow morning."

Fenton looked at his son and Nancy, staring at each other and quickly cleared his throat. "Joe, why don't you help me in the uh, kitchen?"

Joe could see what his father was trying to do and quickly agreed. He leapt up from his chair and hurriedly followed his father out of the room.

Both Frank and Nancy were oblivious to the awkward scene that had just played out, "You're leaving?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, Dad needs to get back, for the trial." She explained "and Christmas is coming up…so. We don't even have a Christmas tree yet! We'd usually have one by now, it's tradition for dad and I to go together and get one, but he's been so busy…" her voice trailed off.

"Oh, well. I mean, that makes sense." Frank's mind was reeling, _Nancy was leaving!_ Before he could think of something to say, the doorbell rang and Nancy jumped up off the couch.

"That must be Dad; he's picking me up to go to the hotel." She rushed over to the front door and opened it. Carson stepped into the foyer and looked at Frank on the couch.

"Frank, good to see you're home. Are you feeling alright?"

Frank could feel his arm pulsing with a dull pain, "Yes sir, I'll be alright."

Laura and Fenton came out of the kitchen to greet Carson, "Well Nancy, you ready to go?" Carson asked.

"Oh no!" Laura exclaimed, "You must stay for dinner."

"We don't want to intrude on your family time," Carson began.

"Oh, don't be silly. You two are practically like family anyway and you'll be leaving tomorrow, this will be our last chance to sit around and talk without a mystery over our heads for awhile." Frank couldn't help but feel a little anxious at her words, he had to _do _something fast, but what, what was it he was supposed to do?

The group sat down to a nice meal and instead of eating in the dining room, opted to eat in the living room so that Frank could join in the conversation. When the meal was over everyone sat around talking about the latest Presidential blooper and the big city problem of street racing that was beginning to invade their smaller towns. It was Nancy who first noticed that Frank had nodded off, "he must be so tired." She commented as everyone glanced at the sleeping boy.

"Well, that's our cue to leave," Carson stood up and shook Fenton's hand. "Thank you for a lovely meal, Laura. I wish we didn't live so far apart, but we'll have to have you all over for a visit soon."

"We'd like that," Laura smiled and Carson gave her a hug. Nancy hugged Laura and Fenton and then turned to Joe.

"I'll stop by and say good-bye tomorrow," she told him and gave him a hug. "Tell Frank I said goodnight and I'll see him in the morning." With final goodbyes Nancy and Carson walked out to their rental car and the Hardy's waved them off.

Fenton and Laura excused themselves to the kitchen to begin on dishes and Joe, relieved to have escaped that particular chore threw himself down on the loveseat near Frank to watch TV. He passed an enjoyable hour watching the comedy channel before being interrupted by the front door. "I'll get it!" he called upstairs to his parents. He walked over to the front door and pulled it open, "Hey Callie." He opened the door for her to step inside. "Weren't you leaving for California today?" he asked.

"I was, slight change of plans." She smiled at him, "Is Frank around?"

"He is, but we might have to wake him up," Joe led the way into the living room to find Frank awake and trying to sit up. "Ah, I stand corrected. The old man has decided to awaken from his catnap."

"Shut it, Joey." Frank said, using the nickname he knew made Joe cringe.

"Cheap shot, bro. But I'll forgive you because I know you're in a fragile state of mind." He glanced at Callie who was standing nervously next to the couch. "Well, I'll leave you two to it then." He excused himself and went upstairs.

"Hey," Callie smiled and sat herself down by Frank's feet.

"Hey yourself, aren't you supposed to be enjoying sunny California right now?" Frank motioned for her to move closer so he could grasp her hand.

"Yes, I am…but I changed my flight. I'm not going to leave until tomorrow night." She rubbed her fingers over his.

"Why?"

"I…" her voice trailed off. "Frank, I just…I couldn't leave!" she cried out in obvious distress, "You've been shot! I just, I wanted to be here with you."

Frank was touched by her words, his beautiful Callie, the girl he had loved for most of High School. He liked to think she knew him, inside and out. As he saw the tears welling up in her eyes he pulled her down to rest on his chest, careful to avoid his arm, "It's okay baby, and I'm alright. I've been through this kind of thing before."

"I know," she murmured into his chest, "for some reason, this time it felt more…dangerous. I can't explain why."

"I know," Frank had felt that way too. Callie understood that his work put him in dangerous situations and she dealt with it. Hadn't she proved that by being here now?

Frank had a lot to think about and a short time to do it in.

* * *

The next morning came and Frank still wasn't sure of what he was feeling. He moved stiffly around his room getting dressed. Getting a shirt on was a lot harder to do with one arm completely useless. He growled in frustration as he finally wrestled the blue shirt over his head.

He heard a car pull up in the driveway and saw Nancy and her dad step out and head for the front door. For some reason, Frank found himself staying put and sitting on the edge of his bed instead of going down to greet them. He fiddled with a loose string on his sling before he heard a soft knock on his door. "Frank?" Nancy's voice came from the other side, "can I come in?"

He stood up and went to the door to open it, "Nancy, hi!" he greeted her, a little too enthusiastically. He winced as he realized his voice sounded fake and forced.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked, full of concern and misreading his wince as a wince of pain.

"Great, the pain meds are fantastic." He turned and took a seat in his desk chair.

"Good." Nancy stood awkwardly in the doorway of his room, not sure of what to say next. "Well, I just wanted to say good-bye before I left. I…well, I guess that's it."

Frank looked at her, and didn't know what to say. She was Nancy, what else was there? "Nancy, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately…well, that's really all a person can do when they're laying around…" Nancy smiled, "I just…I think you are amazing." He stood up and went to stand in front of her. Nancy's heart leapt into her throat at how close they were standing. With his one good arm he grasped her hand. "We've always seemed to have this connection, you and I. I think it's time we did something about it," with that, he leaned in closer towards Nancy and looked into her eyes.

Getting frustrated with himself for stalling, Frank captured Nancy's lips with his. It was an explosion of color and need so sharp it had Frank's mind reeling. Nancy stayed still for only a moment before she reached up to bury her hands in his hair. When they broke apart for a moment, Nancy's gaze landed on a framed photo of Callie and Frank on the beach, their arms wrapped around each other.

Frank, not noticing Nancy stiffen in his arms reached down to kiss her again. When he realized she wasn't kissing back anymore he pulled away. "Nancy, what is it?" he looked at her with concern. Nancy pushed away from him and staggered back a few steps. She wiped the back of her hand across her lips.

"Frank, we can't." She looked horrified as she continued to stare at the picture on the wall. Frank followed the direction of her gaze and felt the familiar twist of guilt and shame in his gut.

"Nancy…" he began but she cut him off.

"No…no, Frank. We've said it time and time again. You're in love with Callie. We can't do this. You've been with her forever." Nancy backed up to press her back against his door.

Her father's voice called up the stairs, "Nancy? Honey, we need to go!"

Nancy turned and opened the door, "Frank…I have to go. I'll….we'll talk later," with that she rushed out of his room, leaving Frank standing there, a mix of confused emotions.

A moment later and he heard a car start and drive off and he turned to sit down on his bed in a daze. Was Nancy really gone, again? Had he really just kissed her, felt all of those feelings, only to have her gone again? He couldn't believe what had happened, he dropped his head in his good hand.

That was how Joe found him ten minutes later, "Hey, big brother." Joe came into the room and sat in Frank's computer chair.

It was silent for a minute before Frank looked up at Joe, "she's gone. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, Joe."

One thing Frank couldn't help but wonder about was why Nancy hadn't mentioned Ned when she had pulled away from him.

* * *

In a dark and dank prison cell, the man sat and wrung his hands together greedily. He couldn't believe how perfectly everything had worked out. That idiot DiMeo had done exactly what he was told to do...and when his uses had run dry, he had been taken care of. Quietly. It was only a matter of time now before he could pull off the second part of his plan. For now, he'd lull those stupid kids into a false sense of security…before finally, finally getting his revenge.

Oh, and he was sure that his revenge would be so, so sweet.

* * *

**I hope I didn't throw too much information at you, too fast. I just wanted to get all of this into one chapter and it was getting really long!**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks again for the amazing reviews! This chapter is going to be short, more of transition chapter than anything else. I was just going to jump into the next part of the story and go for it, but I thought that if I did that you guys might be too mad at me. Hopefully this chapter will serve as a nice little bridge to where I want to go.

Whitetigers: Thank you for the lovely reviews, I love reading what you have to say about the different parts of the story! The band-aid/flesh wound thing was just me trying to make Frank sound like he was shrugging it all off…he really was shot in the shoulder. I didn't really explain that very well, sorry! I'm glad you're a fan of the brother banter, I am too and try to write it into my stories as often as possible!

Polaris: believe me, I've thought Ned and Callie would make the perfect couple MANY times. :) They both, at least in my little world, dislike everything about solving mysteries…they could complain about it together!! Thank you for your review!

Performer001: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I'm a sucker for romance myself. I hope you continue to enjoy it, even if I do keep them on a roller coaster for awhile. /

KCS: Thanks for reviewing! Yes...Frank is in a bit of pickle, isn't he? I admit…it is pretty fun to write all that angst-y stuff! I hope you continue to like the story!

Leila91: If you think THAT was a romantic cliffhanger…wait until you get a load of this!! Thank you for reviewing!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 6**

**One Month Later…**

Frank sat down at the computer chair in his room and booted up his laptop. He stared blankly ahead as he waited for the desktop to pop up. He looked down at his right ring finger and the silver Celtic knot band that he wore. Callie had given it to him for Christmas, etched with the words _Forever In Love, Callie_ on the inside of the band. A sort of promise ring, he supposed.

He opened up his e-mail browser and waited for any sign of new e-mail. He rubbed absently at his healing shoulder, it still gave him pangs every now and again. He looked through his e-mail and saw that his inbox was full of the usual. A forward from Chet detailing all of the ways you might know you're a redneck, he skimmed through them and chuckled at the jokes. There was an interesting article from Tony that he had found in the New York Times and a few pieces of spam.

There was one e-mail that was conspicuously absent from his inbox.

He hadn't heard from Nancy very much since she had left a month before. A quick note sent to both him and Joe telling them she had made it home safely. Then there was a second e-mail, this time just to Frank, wishing him a Merry Christmas. Frank let himself feel optimistic about this e-mail, until he learned that Joe had received one almost exactly like it. After that, Frank had tried e-mailing Nancy a few times and had eventually received a response. Her last e-mail to him had held the cryptic sentence: _"Frank, you've always made the right decisions and I will always admire that about you. I wish you all the best, Nancy."_

What was that supposed to mean? It sounded so final. Indeed, he had not heard from her since that e-mail and he knew that Joe had. He shook his head, he needed to stop thinking and just do what he had set out to do. He needed to get this done and out of the way before he changed his mind and potentially made a big mistake.

He clicked on the new message icon and began to type:

_Nancy,_

_This is hard for me to write and I'm not really sure what I am going to say or how I should say it. First off I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for once again making things awkward between us, I seem to do that a lot. I know that you are happy with Ned and always will be. Any time you've ever talked about him with me, your voice is filled with such love and caring. I envy the man who has that from you. As for me and Callie, I've loved her for a long time and it feels strange to think of my life without her. You have Ned and I have Callie, all is normal. I hope everything is okay with you and I really hope that we can remain friends, even considering how badly I screwed things up between us. I hope to hear from you soon._

At this, Frank wasn't sure how he should sign his name. Should he say Love, Frank? He certainly loved Nancy and always would…but would that be too much? Every other option he could think of sounded stiff and formal: sincerely, regards, etc. He settled on simply signing the e-mail:

_Talk to you soon,_

_Frank_

He leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen for a few minutes. He looked back down at the ring he wore on his right hand and smiled. He did love Callie, this awful need that seemed to spring up for Nancy any time she was around was just…well, he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that Nancy lived in River Heights and was in love with a man that was not him. He reached forward and with the mouse hovering over the send button, he hesitated. Then, disgusted at himself for waiting, he hit the send button defiantly.

Hopefully he had done the right thing.

* * *

Half-way across the country Nancy sat in her father's office, reading Frank's e-mail. She had hoped that with her last e-mail to him he would know that she was here to support him in any decision that he made. As she was reading she didn't realize that she had tears streaming down her face. When she finished the e-mail she let out a small sob, _so, he's made his decision. _Her mind screamed at her to e-mail him back, right away, and tell him about Ned. Tell him that they had broken up nearly two months ago, but her fingers stayed still.

She sat like that for a long time, staring at the computer screen and the e-mail that was still open on it. She cried bitterly for all of the feelings she had for Frank, the opportunities wasted. When she had finally poured out all of her feelings of despair she found herself getting angry. She closed the e-mail without replying and angrily wiped at her tear stained cheeks. _Fine,_ she thought to herself, _I'm a strong girl. I've made it through this kind of heartbreak before._

Though for some reason, the heartbreak felt worse than ever. She stood up and walked out of her father's office to see if she could help Hannah prepare dinner.

It would be five years before Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy would see each other again.

* * *

**I'm sorry! I hope you guys don't hate what I've done!! I just really wanted Nancy and Frank to go on a rollercoaster before the end. I just didn't think Nancy and Frank, after everything they've been through, should come together easily. Review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you to everyone for supporting me with my crazy ideas for this story. I really hope that I'm able to do you all justice and pull everything together. You guys are great!! I can't believe I'm on Chapter 7 already! Yay!

Thank you SO much for all of your reviews…I love reading them, it's the bright spot in my day! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 7**

**Five Years Later...**

Special Agent Nancy Drew pulled her rental car into the familiar driveway of her childhood home. The house in front of her had not changed much in the years since she had moved out. The first time had been when she headed to college at the University of Chicago and the second when she had decided to move to New York and work for the FBI.

She turned the car off and sat staring at her home. Even though she had been living in her apartment in New York for almost a year and felt very comfortable in it, the two story house that stood in front of her would always be home.

She reached over and grabbed her purse off the passenger seat before opening the car door. She closed the door behind her and sighed, she was so glad to be home to celebrate Christmas with her father and Hannah. Being new to the Bureau was hard work, she was constantly trying to prove herself and work her way up; she really needed the week of vacation she was taking. She decided to wait and get her luggage later and so headed for the front door.

Because she could never imagine knocking on her own front door, she took her keys out and opened the door herself, "Hello?" she called out, "Anybody home?"

Hannah came rushing out of the kitchen, a huge smile on her face. "Nancy! Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Hannah enveloped her in a huge hug. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"You were just in New York last month, Hannah!" Nancy laughed and hugged her right back. Hannah had come to visit Nancy in New York for a few days last month. They had spent an enjoyable amount of time taking in the sights, shopping and having hours of girl talk.

"I know, I know." Hannah pulled away and held Nancy at arms length, looking her up and down. "I've said it before but I'll say it again...that city sure has put a shine on you. I can't believe how much you've grown up!"

"It was bound to happen eventually," Nancy laughed.

"One thing is for certain, you're not eating enough." When Nancy rolled her eyes and laughed Hannah shook her head, "Don't you roll your eyes at me young lady. You're too skinny! I'll have to fatten you up while you're here." At the sound of footsteps on the stairs both women turned to see Carson making his way towards them.

At 58, Carson was aging with a sort of quiet grace. His hair had gone a distinguished shade of gray and his face was lined with years of experience, and even his wrinkles spoke of dignity and knowledge. His eyes however, had stayed the same, with a mischievous glint and sparkle that shone at the sight of his daughter.

"Nancy," he held out his arms and Nancy rushed to give him a hug.

"Dad." she murmured into his chest. No matter how long she was away or how much time had passed, it was always the same with them, the quiet comfort and unconditional love they shared never changed.

Hannah watched the exchange and smiled, the world seemed to settle down around her as she watched the Father-Daughter reunion. When they pulled away from each other Hannah reached over and linked her arm with Nancy's. "You're just in time. Carson and I were about to sit down to dinner."

"For which Hannah is extremely grateful, I'm sure she gets tired of listening to me drone on and on about law and the different ways it can be corrupted." Carson laughed as he followed them into the kitchen.

"Well, I can't imagine why anyone would find that boring!" Nancy exclaimed as the trio settled themselves at the kitchen table. They passed an enjoyable hour catching up on all of the town gossip and the going ons in Nancy's life.

"I don't know, Nancy." Hannah stood up and gathered the empty dishes to take to the sink. "I just can't get over you being an FBI person."

"Special Agent, actually." Nancy smiled and rose to help Hannah with the dishes. "The Bureau prefers a more…formal approach."

"Whatever it is...I am so proud of you." Hannah paused and Nancy could hear the 'but' coming. "But, I do worry about you."

"We both do," Carson rose and went to stand beside Nancy, "But I trust that the FBI has trained my daughter well. I also like to tell myself that you sit at a desk all day filling out paperwork and fetching coffee."

"Well, there is a lot of paperwork and believe me, when I first joined the Bureau it felt like _all_ I was doing was fetching coffee. I'm just starting to find my place in the FBI; I'm closer to getting put in charge of my own op every day!" At the gleam of pure excitement in Nancy's eyes Carson laughed.

He leaned forward and gave his daughter a kiss on her temple, "I'm going to continue picturing you at a desk pushing paper, if it's all the same to you."

The rest of the night was spent playing one of the group's favorite games, Uno. It was a simple game and that's what was so appealing about it, it seemed that there was so much going on in their lives all the time it was nice to be able to relax with a simple game.

When it was time to turn in for the night Nancy leaned down to kiss her father's cheek, "Good night Dad." She turned and gave Hannah a kiss on the cheek too. "Good night Hannah."

"Don't forget we're going to get the Christmas tree tomorrow." Carson reminded her.

"How could I forget, its tradition." She smiled at him. "It's good to be home," with that she made her way to her old bedroom and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to glance around at the walls that hadn't changed in all the years she had been gone. The same posters she had put up when she was a Senior in high school still graced the walls. A teen heartthrob grinned his perfect pearly whites at her from his spot on her full size mirror.

Nancy shook her head over the room's decorations, but no matter how many times she had walked into this room and thought about changing them, she never did. However embarrassing some of her choices back then were, they still offered her comfort and she liked the continuity of it all.

She set her bag down by the closet and pulled out her laptop. While she waited for it to turn on, Nancy changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She came back and sat at her desk to check her e-mail.

The first e-mail in her inbox was a notification from the Bureau informing her of her vacation time and when she was due back at work, _always efficient, _she thought wryly.

The next e-mail had her breaking out into a huge grin. _Joe Hardy! Just what are you up to?_ She and the younger Hardy shared e-mails back and forth pretty regularly, so it wasn't a huge surprise to hear from him, but it was a pleasant one. She clicked on his e-mail and thought about the one Hardy she hadn't even had an e-mail from in over a year.

She began to read:

_Hey Nance!!_

_It's been pretty busy around here lately, _Hardy and Sons Investigations _is currently working on four of the most boring cases on the PLANET. What happened to the days when we were being chased by evil villains and shot at by crazed psychopaths? These days, nine times out of ten, you can find me trying not to be seen by a cheating spouse in front of a dingy motel. What a life! You know, I've come to the conclusion that we only have ourselves to blame for my current Cheating Spouse Stalker predicament, we solved so many mysteries in our youth there aren't any criminals LEFT._

_Do you think the FBI would go for it if you suggested they let out a few of the less evil mob bosses, just so I could have a go at tracking them down again? Come on Nancy, I'm dying here! Boredom does not, and never has, sat well with Joe Hardy._

_Also, I've been thinking about proposing to Vanessa. If all goes well, can I expect your awesome presence for the blessed event? I would really love for you to be there. _

_Anyway, wish me luck…luck in finding the right time to pop the question. Luck for hoping she says yes and luck for finding some real criminals to chase!_

_Okay, I hope everything is going well for you and that you're enjoying the Bureau. Tell me what it's like to be working on cases that involve guns and chases, maybe I can live vicariously through you for the time being._

_Love,  
Joe_

Nancy sat back and smiled. So, Joe Hardy, infamous girl magnet was seriously considering tying the knot. A few years back had found Joe and Vanessa in Chicago for her family reunion. She had met up with the couple for dinner one of the nights they were in town and she had instantly loved Vanessa. She knew that they were going to be really happy together.

One thing Nancy couldn't help but notice was Joe's conspicuously absent mention of his brother. He never really said anything about Frank unless it was indirectly, which drove Nancy crazy. She wanted to know what was going on in Frank's life and yet didn't have the guts to ask. If she was completely honest with herself, what she really wanted to know was whether or not Callie and Frank had tied the knot yet. It was hard for her to think about that, so she chose instead to focus on how angry she still was about what had happened five years ago. No matter what she did, no matter what she told herself she was still upset by the choices Frank had made and the choices she herself had made.

Most of the time, she just chalked those mistakes up as a result of High School drama, but she knew that those decisions had been so much more than that. If she wasn't careful, she still found herself going, _"what if?"_

She shook her head to rid herself of the dark thoughts, _no point in going there and thinking like that_, she thought to herself,_ he made his decision, you made yours and that's that._ She climbed into her bed and snuggled gratefully into its familiar warmth. No matter what, it really was good to be home.

* * *

The next day Nancy and Carson woke up early to make the drive south to where they went to pick out a Christmas tree every year. On the way down Carson would drink from his thermos of coffee and Nancy would drink from a thermos of hot chocolate that Hannah had prepared for them. Even though Nancy had started drinking coffee a long time ago, it was tradition and so she happily drank the un-caffeinated beverage. Besides, she had snuck in a cup of coffee before leaving the house for the extra kick she usually needed in the morning.

When they arrived at the tree farm and got out of the car they were greeted by the same grizzly old man who had been working at the tree farm for as long as Nancy could remember. "Why hello Mister Drew, hello Mizz Nancy." He called from his perch on the front porch of the trailer that served as office.

"Hello, Gus!" Nancy waved and they made their way over to the man.

"Could I interest you in a Red Vine, little lady?" he offered her the package and Nancy took one, as she had done every year for the twenty odd years they had been coming to Davis Tree Farms.

"We'll be cutting our own down, Gus." Carson took his hands out of his jeans pockets to take the saw Gus offered. "Thank you, Gus. We'll be back."

Nancy and Carson walked off into the throng of trees, arm in arm. Nancy took a deep breath of the wonderful fresh air and the scent of the trees. "How is that young man doing that you were talking about at Thanksgiving?" Carson asked her as they walked deeper into the rows of trees.

"Oh, Liam? He's okay, I wouldn't know for sure. We haven't talked much since that first date." Nancy stopped in front of a promising looking tree and tilted her head to the side. "What about this one?"

"It leans a little to the left," Carson commented and Nancy straightened her head to look at it head on. She laughed, "And so it does." They continued on, stopping every once and awhile to judge a tree and decide that it just wasn't right.

Carson looked at his daughter's profile as she slowly walked around a tree they were considering and he frowned, "I don't understand, I thought this Liam fellow was someone you really liked."

Nancy shrugged, "It didn't work out." She said simply. In truth, their first date had been wonderful and fun and she had found herself deeply attracted to Liam, something that had not happened towards any man in long time. In the end, it had been she who had quickly and abruptly backed off the burgeoning relationship, leaving Liam confused and Nancy feeling oddly relieved.

"It's been awhile since you've had a steady relationship." Carson commented simply.

Nancy stopped to stare at her father; it was very rare for Carson to comment about Nancy's relationship status. In fact, she couldn't remember her father ever sounding concerned about her being single before now. "I know, Dad. I've been busy." With that Nancy glanced over her father's shoulder and her eyes lit up, "Dad! What about this one!" she rushed forward and came to a stop in front of a handsome Douglas Fir that stood at an impressive seven feet tall. Its branches were full and green and as Nancy made a circle around it she didn't notice any major holes and she saw many places that would be perfect for hanging ornaments. "What do you think, Dad?" she turned to face him and Carson rubbed his hand over his chin in concentration.

"I think, we've found this years tree." He declared. Nancy let out a victory cry and pulled the camera out of her bag. "Time for pictures!" she handed her dad the camera and stood back to stand with the chosen tree. When it was her father's turn to pose he took a rare comical stance and lifted the saw onto his shoulder, assuming the pose of an outdoorsy woodsman.

"Dad, you look great! A real woodsman in his brand new jeans and ironed shirt." She laughed when her dad sent her a joking frown. Carson then set about the business of cutting down and taking home their prize. The two of them carried the tree back to where Gus was waiting for them. Gus ran it through the machine that would wrap it in netting and Carson pulled out his checkbook. As Gus and Carson lashed the tree to the top of the car, Carson's phone began to ring where it sat on the car's dashboard.

"Nancy honey, could you get that?" Carson grunted from where he was trying to throw the rope across the car to Gus.

"Sure," Nancy reached into the car and flipped open her father's phone, "Carson Drew's phone, Nancy speaking."

"Nancy, it's John," came a deep masculine voice from the other end.

Nancy smiled when she heard the familiar voice; John was a partner at her father's law firm. "John, how are you?"

"I'm alright, Nancy. Is your father busy?" John sounded distracted.

"He's tying the tree to the car right now." Nancy glanced at her father, who was currently lying on his back tying the rope to the bottom of the car.

"It's urgent, could up put him on, please?"

"Sure John, hold on a moment." Nancy walked over to her father and leaned down, covering the mouthpiece she said, "Dad, its John. He says it's urgent."

Carson, in a very uncharacteristic move, rolled his eyes but stayed on his back; he reached up for the phone and, even though he was currently lying on his back in dirt and covered with pine needles answered the phone very professionally. "This is Carson." After listening for a few moments, Carson began to slowly sit up. The look on his face had Nancy's gut clenching; it took a lot to put that sort of look on Carson's face. He listened for a moment more before saying good-bye, "Thank you for calling, John. We'll talk more later," he closed the phone and looked up into Nancy's concerned face.

Nancy helped her father stand before giving in to curiosity, "What is it, Dad? What did John say?"

"Nancy," Carson paused and rubbed his hand over his chin, "Nancy, Vincent Giamatti broke out of prison."

……………

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I love all of your reviews! It's always such a rush and it really encourages me to continue writing, so here's the next chapter…the DAY after I posted the last one!! I know, I know…two updates in a row, what a crazy world we live in! I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, please review and let me know what you think!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 8**

"What?" Nancy froze where she was standing. "I mean, how? When?"

"John wasn't sure of all of the details, but it happened some time this morning." Carson thanked Gus and the pair got into the car and began to drive away.

Nancy was shocked. People didn't just, break out of prison in this day and age. This wasn't an episode of _Bonanza_; you couldn't just walk into a prison and unlock the door for your buddy. You couldn't dig your way out with a spoon. "I…well." Nancy was at a loss for words. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number.

After two rings her partner at the Bureau picked up, "Agent Knight," came the curt greeting.

"Michael, it's Nancy," Nancy smiled when she pictured her partner. He was probably sitting at his desk, feet up and chewing on the end of a pencil. The devoted father of three was a shining example of the kind of Agent Nancy wanted to be. He was devoted to his work and yet, at the same time able to show just as much love and devotion to his family.

On learning that it was Nancy, Michael's voice instantly warmed, "Nan, you've been on your vacation not even 48 hours yet. The Bureau is not going to fall apart if you're not around, no matter how valuable you are."

Nancy laughed, "I know, but I need some information."

"Nancy, you're on vacation: a much deserved, much needed vacation."

"Michael…" Nancy pleaded.

"No way, Nan," Michael tried but failed at sounding stern.

"I'll make you chocolate chip cookies," Nancy said, trying bribery. She knew that Michael had a huge soft spot for her secret recipe chocolate chip cookies.

"That's not fair, not fair at all." There was silence on the other end of the phone and Nancy knew he was seriously tempted by her offer. "Make it a double batch and we have a deal."

"Done," Nancy shifted in her seat to reach down for her purse. She grabbed out a pen and small notebook before continuing, "Michael, I need to know everything you have on Vincent Giamatti and his recent miraculous escape from jail." Nancy had the fleeting thought that perhaps Joe Hardy was going to get his wish.

"Giamatti? Well shoot, it's all over the office Nan. Water cooler talk, big time." She heard some papers rustling before he continued and she began to hastily scribble notes, "the memo says that at '0200 hours this morning Vincent F. Giamatti was seen sleeping in his cell at the Statesville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois. At 0230, as the guard was making his rounds he noticed V.F. Giamatti was no longer in his cell. Upon further inspection it was determined that V.F. Giamatti was no longer on the premises. Statesville Correctional Center is a maximum security prison with a Level 1 security designation.'" Michael paused in his reading of the memo before continuing, "The rest outlines what we know so far, which is nothing and that a full briefing is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Why the interest, Nan? I mean it is certainly interesting isn't it, that a man can just disappear like that, in a maximum security prison."

"He…" Nancy trailed off, unsure of what to say. What link did she have to Giamatti other than a shaky association with him from five years ago? Was she so worked up over this because it brought up memories of Frank? Nancy shook her head to stop her wandering thoughts, "My dad was a prosecutor on his case five years ago," she answered and decided to bypass the telling of the whole story.

"Ah," Michael said, understanding, "That must be quite the blow, I heard that Giamatti's case was a hard one to bury. Tied the court up for good long while."

"Yeah," Nancy was quiet before she said, "Look, I know I'm on vacation right now…"

Michael cut her off, "No way, no way you can't come back early. Christmas is in two days; spend it with your father and Hannah."

Nancy sighed, he was right in a way and she knew that he wasn't going to let her come back without a massive argument. She still didn't know what to do with the knowledge that Giamatti was free so she decided not to argue. Instead, she tried for a compromise "Okay, I'll stay for Christmas, but I'm coming back after."

"Nancy…" Michael began but this time it was Nancy's turn to cut him off.

"No, that's the deal." When he agreed, Nancy smiled to herself. This would give her some time to consider the possibilities and figure out just what kind of role she wanted to take in the recovery of Giamatti.

…………

Sitting in Bayport, hundreds of miles away Frank Hardy leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to shave that morning, he _always_ remembered to shave. The stubble on his chin was irritating him, as it had been all day. He was about to ask his father if he could borrow his razor when Joe burst into the room.

"Hey Joe, what's got you all excited, catch another cheating spouse?" Frank reached for his coffee with a huge grin on his face.

"Ha ha," Joe glared at his older brother. Frank knew how restless and frustrated Joe was feeling about the lack of interesting cases currently on their workload and he couldn't help but tease Joe about it every chance he got.

"What is it, Joe?" Fenton asked from his desk across the room.

Joe threw himself down in his own desk chair and leaned forward excitedly, "Guess who just broke out of prison."

"Someone broke out of prison? How?" Frank asked, his curiosity peaking.

"The most important question here big brother, is not _how_ but _who._" Joe answered cryptically.

"Who, then?" Fenton asked, beginning to get a little frustrated.

"Vincent Giamatti." Joe said triumphantly and sat back in his chair, twirling a pen. At his father and brother's silence he leaned forward again, "Why aren't you guys more excited?"

"Excited? Joe, Vincent Giamatti was a massive terrorist for over 20 years. He's killed who knows how many people and caused unknown amounts of pain on who knows how many families. It's not exactly the best news to hear that he's walking free." Frank glanced at his father who was looking thoughtful.

"Of course I'm not excited about how BAD this guy is, seriously what do you think of me? What's got me is our connection to Giamatti, albeit tenuous, from five years ago. AND when you don't even consider our shaky connection to Giamatti, _this is our break in the lull!_ No more hunting down criminals that aren't even criminals!"

"This business isn't about personal vendetta's Joe." Fenton reminded his excited son, "We typically work on a client referred basis."

"Client referred business is never _fun _and this isn't a personal vendetta! We never get investigations that are any good unless they either, a) kidnap one of us or someone we know, b) threaten one of us or someone we know, or c) the Gray man contacts us and frustrates one or all of us and the people we know." Joe ticked his list off on his fingers.

Frank couldn't help but laugh, Joe did seem to have it down pretty accurately. They did tend to get all of their more interesting cases in less traditional ways.

"Okay Joe, you make a good point. Let's call up some of our contacts and see what we can come up with, you're not the only one getting sick of the weak cases around here." Fenton smiled at his son and picked up the phone.

Frank stood up and stretched, then made his way in to the adjoining kitchen. _Hardy and Sons Investigations_ had found new premises in downtown Bayport about a year ago, which meant they no longer worked out of the Hardy home. It also meant that the boys were on their own more often than not as far as meals went.

Joe followed Frank and leaned against the kitchen counter as he watched his brother reach into the fridge for sandwich fixings. "Nice stubble, are you trying to be a cowboy now Frank?" Joe teased.

Frank didn't bother to turn around, he only snorted. The boys were silent for a moment and Joe found himself thinking about the e-mail he had sent to Nancy and that he had joked around about the FBI letting go of a few criminals for him to chase, "Weird coincidence." He muttered.

"What is?" Frank asked with his back still to his brother as he threw some meat on a slice of bread.

"Hey, make me one of those while you're at it." Joe said as his stomach rumbled.

"Make your own," Frank stepped to the side as he put his finished sandwich on a plate and pulled some chips out of the cupboard. Joe seriously considered going starving at the prospect of putting energy into making his own sandwich before his stomach growled again and made the decision for him. He reluctantly stepped up to the counter and began making himself a rather large sandwich. Frank laughed at his younger brother before asking him again, "what's a weird coincidence?"

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that it's a weird coincidence that just the other day I e-mailed Nancy and asked her if she could let out a few criminals for me to chase. Two days later and, voila! Giamatti." Joe noticed his brother stiffen beside him when he mentioned Nancy's name.

"You talked to Nancy?" he asked around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Yeah," Joe said slowly. He had to be careful what he said around Frank about Nancy. About six months after the whole ordeal involving Gabriel DiMeo, Joe had e-mailed Nancy to see how she was doing. Through the e-mails that followed Joe had learned about Nancy and Ned's breakup…and that they had been broken up when Nancy was in Bayport.

When he had casually mentioned it to Frank, he couldn't believe how upset his brother had gotten. Joe wasn't one hundred percent certain what had happened between Nancy and his brother, but he knew that it was hard for Frank to talk about.

Things had taken a particularly depressing turn when Callie and Frank had broken up. It was during that time that Joe was the most worried about his brother, he had never seen him so unlike himself.

Frank sat down at the small table in the kitchen and looked back over at his brother, who was currently shoving a large amount of sandwich into his mouth. "How is she?" he tried and failed to sound nonchalant.

Joe paused for a moment and was grateful he could use the excuse of chewing his food to give himself a moment to think, "She's doing well."

Frank was silent for a moment, "Would you hand me a drink, Joe." Joe reached into the fridge and pulled out a soda and handed it to Frank. "Did I ever tell you what happened between Nancy and me five years ago?"

Joe was silent; he knew what kind of mood Frank was in just by his body language. Joe shook his head no.

"Well, as I remember it, I mentioned Ned and Callie a few times; you know the usual 'we're in love with other people' line. Nancy stayed mum about her and Ned's obviously devastating breakup, we shared one of the most amazing kisses I have ever had and then she walked away." Frank sighed and took a sip of his drink, "and then, like an ass, I made the wrong decision. I sent her an e-mail and told her I was going to stay with Callie. I had my suspicions at that point about Ned, but I didn't really think them through. But now that I'm removed from the situation by about 5 years," Frank scoffed and shook his head, "I can look back and see that Nancy never did mention Ned. Not once. Why didn't she tell me?" This last question was spoken in a whisper

There was silence as the two boys sat thinking their separate thoughts. Finally, Frank spoke again, "You know what you said to me, five years ago? About following my heart instead of my logical brain for once?"

Joe nodded, "Best advice in the history of people giving advice."

Frank laughed and then shook his head, "Yeah and I didn't listen to you. I followed my brain. I chose Callie for all sorts of reasons and now I know that they were the wrong reasons. She and I had been together forever, it wasn't fair to break up with her over something that didn't make any sense to me and lastly, and probably the most stupid, I was afraid. I don't even know why, now that I think about it."

Joe cleared his throat and crossed his arms across his chest, "There's a part two of my Amazing Advice, brother. The second part to that advice was something I didn't want to say at the time, because it seemed to put an unfair amount of pressure on you, but now I think you need to hear it." Frank waited for his brother to gather his thoughts and when Joe did he let out a long sigh, "Frank, when Iola died…I…I didn't know what to do, how to feel, how to keep on living every day with this overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame."

Frank was absolutely still as his brother spoke, Iola's death was something Joe rarely talked about and Frank knew that it was a hard subject for him. "One of the harsh lessons I learned from that experience and one that I continue to carry with me to this day, is that you can't ever mess around when it comes to people you love. I'm not saying we should go about our day to day lives scared that someone we know is going to die. What I am saying is that we should _always_ tell people we love them, because in the end, that's all I could think about. That I didn't get to tell her I loved her one last time and that I didn't tell her nearly as often as I should have."

Silence hung in the air as Joe shifted uncomfortably, "I just think that, if you love someone they need to know, at every opportunity, no matter how small."

"Joe…" Frank trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You don't need to say anything Frank. Just know that I love you and that I'm always going to be there for you." Joe pushed himself off the counter and threw his garbage away.

"I love you too, Joe." Frank said and stood to throw his garbage away too.

"Good, because I'm amazing," Joe said with a grin.

"Vanessa's a lucky woman," Frank clapped Joe on the back.

"Yes, which is exactly why I am going to ask her to marry me, because it's in her best interest to marry someone amazing," Frank laughed out loud as they made their way back into the main office. Joe turned to face his brother, his face serious once more, "maybe you should call her about this Giamatti thing, Frank. She's FBI, maybe she can help us out."

"I don't think so Joe, I think I've run out of second chances with Nancy." At the resigned tone in Frank's voice, Joe frowned. He'd never heard his brother sound so dejected.

…………

Nancy sat in her old bedroom in River Heights staring at the computer screen. She had started and re-started an e-mail so many times she was starting to get upset at her foolishness. _Don't write it in an e-mail_ she chided herself, _be the bigger person! Call!_

She tapped her fingers on the desk and picked up the phone. She dialed six numbers and then slammed down the phone. She sat for another moment thinking over what she should do. _Okay, so I can't do it in an e-mail…but I can call and leave a message._ She looked at the clock and deciding that they would be closed by now, took out her address book and looked under the letter H. It wasn't cowardly to call and leave a message, it was professional and thoughtful.

The phone rang five times and Nancy was sure she was going to get the answering machine. She was already planning on what she would say in the short, concise and professional voicemail she would leave. On the sixth ring the phone picked up, but instead of an answering machine, an annoyed gruff voice said, "Hardy and Sons Investigations, how can I help?"

Nancy was silent for a moment, not sure what she should say. "Hello?" the voice was definitely annoyed now.

"Um…" all of Nancy's professional thoughts escaped her mind. All she could think was: _Frank!_


	9. Chapter 9

Leila91: I know, I'm pretty impatient too…which is why I just had to write the next chapter today! I wanted to know what Frank and Nancy would talk about too! Lol. I hope you enjoy it!

Franknjoe: Joe does have a hard time keeping things from his older brother, but in my head he told Frank as more of an unfortunate accident than an actual deliberate telling. An oops! moment if I've ever seen one!

Whitetigers: hopefully some of Nancy's stupidity will be very briefly explained to you in this chapter…but I'm with you, stupid girl! She should have told him and avoided all of this confusion!!

Shani8: Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy what I've done with the whole phone call thing…Enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 9**

It was getting late in Bayport, NY and Frank couldn't figure out what he was still doing at the office. Joe had left hours ago, claiming his chest hurt him from being away from Vanessa for so long. Fenton had followed shortly after and that left Frank sitting in the growing darkness and absentmindedly rubbed his hand over the stubble that covered his chin. Maybe he'd let it grow out some, he thought to himself, try something new. He didn't want to go home, to his dark apartment where there wasn't a Vanessa or a Mom waiting for him.

He scratched his face for the thousandth time and immediately changed his mind about letting his stubble grow, it was shaving the irritating stuff off tonight.

He put the finishing touches on a report for the last case he had worked on, saved it and printed out a copy to send to the client and a copy to file in the back room. He took the finished document and sealed it in an envelope, ready to be sent out in the morning, he took the file copy and went into the back room, which was full of row after row of filing cabinets. Those file cabinets represented years of work on exciting and some not as exciting, cases. He filed his report in its own, relatively slim folder and looked around him.

Every case clearly outlined. What a treasure trove of information, coded of course and very well guarded. He wandered over to another file cabinet and pulled open a drawer, he selected the folder he was looking for and pulled it out. Opening it up, he began to read the bland words in front of him. It was a report on one of Joe's and his cases from their high school days, the one from Egypt. He smiled when he reached the part about Nancy's doll and grimaced at the memory of its demise. _You should have bought her a replacement, Hardy._

He quickly shut the file and put it back in its place. His hand began to reach for another file, this one labeled _Giamatti_ but he stopped. He didn't want to go back there; there wasn't a happy memory over a silly doll he could smile over. He shut the cabinet and walked out of the room, turning off the light as he left.

He walked back to his desk and, resigned to the fact that he couldn't think of another thing to do to keep him at the office any longer, turned off his desk lamp and pulled on his coat. He was thinking about what he could pull together for dinner when the phone rang. He stared at it in disbelief, _just as I was getting excited over Mom's leftover lasagna! _He shook his head, _let the machine get it. _He was almost to the door and the phone was still ringing stubbornly. Frank groaned and reached for the phone.

"Hardy and Sons Investigations, how can I help?" _this had better be the case of a lifetime, _he thought silently to himself. When there was no response on the other end of the line he grew even more annoyed. "Hello?" Nothing. He was about to hang up when a feminine voice stopped him.

"Um…" it said. Frank strained to hear what the person was saying.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you. You'll have to speak up." Frank spoke loudly. He wondered if he had any salad or carrots in the fridge, he should probably try and eat something healthy with his Mom's artery clogging but oh-so-good lasagna.

The voice that answered him had all thoughts of dinner leaving his head, "Frank, hi. It's me, Nancy." This time, it was Frank's turn to be speechless. "Frank? Are you there?"

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his chair, "Yeah, yeah I'm here."

There was an awkward silence as the two tried to figure out what to say. Nancy was the first to speak, "I thought you guys would be closed." She must have realized how that sounded because she quickly rushed on, "Not that I'm not glad to talk to you! It's just; I didn't think anyone would be working this late."

"Yeah, I had a few things to finish up." Frank replied.

"Oh," Nancy paused, "Well…"

"Why are you calling, Nancy?" Frank hadn't realized until he heard her voice again just how angry he was with her and yet at the same time, hearing her voice again after so long made him feel oddly at peace.

"I was just calling to see if you guys had heard about Giamatti yet." Nancy sounded affronted. _Nice one, Frank. Way to alienate the love of your life, even if you are pretty mad at her._

"Yeah, Joe came running in here this afternoon with the news. You should have seen him; he looked like he had just won the lottery. I guess you know about our caseload these days." Why did his voice sound so accusatory? He'd work harder at keeping his tone neutral.

"Yeah, Joe mentioned you guys weren't exactly shadowing mob bosses." Nancy said quietly, it was clear she was picking up on his angry vibes.

"Believe me, some of these cheaters seem to think that they _are_ mob bosses, the way they act so surprised when they get caught." There, that was better, he actually sounded downright friendly.

Nancy laughed and the sound had Frank's chest tightening painfully, _God, I miss that laugh. _"I guess the only reason why I was calling was to see if you guys had heard about Giamatti."

"Yeah, it's pretty bizarre isn't it? I mean, this isn't an episode of _Prisonbreak_." Frank smiled as Nancy let out another laugh. It felt good to be talking, albeit a little strained, about mystery and intrigue with someone who truly understood it.

He wondered if they still understood each other as well as they had five years ago. Time was bound to have changed them over the years. With that thought, Frank was faced with a terrifying prospect, what if Nancy wasn't the same Nancy he had fallen in love with so many years ago?

It didn't matter, he told himself, because he and Nancy were miles apart and led two separate lives now. They may not have Callie and Ned as excuses to keep them apart, but they were grownups now, things had changed.

"Frank, are you still there?" Nancy sounded confused.

Frank started when he realized he had been lost in his own little world, "Oh, yeah…sorry. What did you say?"

"I was just saying that I could keep you and Joe informed of what I know about Giamatti, if you'd like. Of course, I'm supposed to be on vacation right now so my partner is being less than forthcoming about information." Nancy sighed in frustration and Frank felt a small twinge of relief; _that sounds like the Nancy I know!_

"That'd be great, Nancy. I know Joe is raring to go find this guy, but Dad and I have our doubts that it would be worthwhile. Chances are they'll pick Giamatti up in some Italian Restaurant in Chicago eating a pile of Spaghetti." Nancy and Frank both laughed at the absurdity of the idea.

"If only it were that easy!" Nancy laughed again and grew silent, "well, I'd better let you go." She finally said.

Did she sound…reluctant? "Yeah, I've got frozen lasagna waiting for me at home."

"Sounds delicious…who, um…made it?" Frank felt a small glimmer of hope inside him at Nancy's tentative question. Was she trying to find out if he and Callie were still together?

"Mom did, she makes the best."

"Oh, I remember Laura's lasagna, it really is the best, but don't tell Hannah I said that. Let Laura know I'll e-mail her that recipe for chocolate chip cookies tomorrow and tell your father and Joe hi for me."

"You've been e-mailing my mom?" Frank asked in disbelief. Had _everyone _been talking to Nancy over the last five years except him? Frank was starting to feel a little betrayed by his parents; at least Joe had always been upfront with him about his relationship with Nancy.

"Oh, just off and on," Nancy said nonchalantly, oblivious to Frank's state of shock. "Well anyway, I'd better be going. Oh, and Merry Christmas Frank."

"Merry Christmas Nancy," Frank replied. They said goodbye and Frank slowly hung up the phone. What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

Nancy hung up the phone in her bedroom and let out a strained laugh, "well, that was awkward." She ran her hand threw her hair and sighed, she couldn't believe how upset Frank had sounded at the beginning of their conversation. She supposed in a way, she deserved it, but if he had the right to be angry so did she! Hadn't he, all those years ago, fallen back on the tried and true excuse of Callie and Ned?

She stopped herself, no use thinking about something that was long since over. She stood up and began to hang the clothes she had neglected since last night up in her closet. She tried to think of other things, like her plans with Bess and George that night, but all she could think about was Frank, eating cold lasagna for dinner. _Was he eating it alone?_

Just then, Hannah knocked on her door and poked her head in, "Nancy honey, Bess and George are here. They've plopped themselves down in the basement and are demanding you hurry up. Their exact words were, 'Tell Nancy that Hugh Grant waits for no woman.'"

Nancy laughed and finished putting a blue dress on its hanger, "I must not have heard the door. I'm on my way."

When she walked into the basement she was greeted with the opening credits for the movie playing on the screen and Bess Marvin and her cousin George Fayne arguing over who was the better man: Hugh Grant or Colin Firth.

"Bess, we're not talking about who is better looking. We're talking about who is the better _man_ and that is clearly Colin Firth, especially in this movie!" George said in exasperation.

Before Bess could retaliate, Nancy spoke up from the doorway, "Hi guys! I guess I didn't hear you knock."

"Nancy!" Bess screeched and jumped up off the couch. She threw herself at Nancy and gave her a huge hug. Pulling back she looked Nancy over, "I am so jealous, you're not even trying and you look like a sophisticated woman of the city."

"Bess, you work in Chicago, you're a sophisticated woman of the city, too." Nancy replied with a smile. Bess had started her own shop in Chicago straight out of college and it was doing really well, it had even been featured in an issue of _O Magazine._

"Yes, but it's no New York." Bess fluffed her blonde hair and smiled.

George walked over and gave Nancy a big hug, "Hey Nance!" she said and smiled at her old friend, "You do look pretty shiny, for a girl in ratty old sweats."

Nancy laughed at her teasing and led her friends back over to the couch. While the credits were playing in the background Nancy asked George about her teaching job at the high school. "They asked me to be the head _cheerleader_ coach." George shuddered noticeably. "I asked them if they were sure they had the right cousin."

"Well, are you going to take it?" Bess asked.

"I'm not sure. I have a full schedule of Social Studies classes plus being the Assistant Coach for Varsity Basketball, I'm not sure I'll have the time. I don't really think I'm the right person for the job. After all, I have all this short brown hair, not a highlight in sight." George leaned forward and grabbed her bottle of water off the coffee table.

"Well, I have some big news!" Bess announced and looked at her two friends, "I'm in LOVE!" she declared.

Nancy and George exchanged a look, "Oh yeah? Who is it this time?" George asked her.

Bess gasped dramatically before continuing, "I beg your pardon! He happens to be a very lovely, very successful businessman."

They listened to Bess talk excitedly about her new love for a few moments and then Nancy asked George about her longtime boyfriend, John. "Oh, John and I are good. Things were weird for awhile when we first moved in together, but that's to be expected. Once we established that we did not, in fact, have a maid and that the reason the towels kept dissapearing off the bathroom floor was that _I_ was picking them up...we got along much better. " The girls all shared a laugh at the ignorance men tended to display when it came to dirty laundry.

"What about you, Nan? Any hot Special Agents saving your life ala Michael Vaughn?" Bess asked.

"Bess, how many times do I have to tell you…working for the FBI isn't exactly like being in an episode of _Alias,_" Nancy laughed.

"Hey, if I want to picture you as a real life Sydney Bristow and picture your nameless, faceless partner as the incredible man-hunk Michael Vaughn, that's my prerogative." Bess answered primly.

Nancy laughed as she thought of her partner, "believe me, my Michael is no Michael Vaughn, but he is pretty cute." Nancy was silent for a moment before she added as nonchalantly as possible, "Actually, I just finished talking to Frank Hardy."

"You WHAT?" Bess screeched. George was so caught off guard that she didn't even mind that Bess had screamed directly into her ear. "Spill," Bess demanded and leaned over to pause the movie that had begun playing.

"There really isn't a lot to say actually," Nancy began and told them about their conversation. "I just don't know what to think, actually. He sounded pretty mad at me, at the beginning."

"Well Nance, you're my best friend, but I've got to say; I don't really blame him." George rushed to explain when Bess hit her shoulder, "I mean, you have every right to be angry with him too, he screwed up just as badly as you did. OW! Bess, stop hitting me! Anyway, all I'm saying is that you had the perfect opportunity to tell Frank that you and Ned had broken up and you never did."

Nancy sighed, her friend was right, "I know, and I can't tell you why I did that. He just kept bringing Ned and Callie up at the same time and so every time I _could_ have said something I was reminded that he was in love with Callie. I didn't want to put that kind of pressure on him."

"Well, from the way it sounds, Callie is long gone. What are you going to do about that now, Nan?" Bess demanded with her hands on her hips.

"Well, there isn't anything I can do about it right now. So instead I'm going to sit back and enjoy this movie with my friends, who I haven't seen in a long time."

Bess rolled her eyes, "sure, change the subject with flattery." But she leaned forward and pressed play. The group fell into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed one of their favorite movies and arguing over whether Hugh Grant or Colin Firth was the better man.

* * *

The man sat on the porch overlooking the water. Night had fallen and there was a heavy silence that hung all around the huge estate. The boss was back and it made the people he surrounded himself with anxious. He took a sip from his glass and smiled to himself. How wonderfully everything was working out.

One of his men came out on the porch, "Sir, your appointment is here."

"Tell him to come on back," the man's grin spread. This newfound ally was proving to be a very smart business associate.

The man didn't look up as his appointment came to sit beside him. Finally, he turned to the second man and smiled wildly, "My friend, thank you for getting me out of prison."

"I apologize that it took as long as it did," the man answered.

"Not to worry, I had a marvelous time, believe it or not. A man in my position can make prison life quite comfortable indeed." Vincent Giamatti relaxed in his chair and put his hands together, "so again, thank you."

"Only a small token for the favor I am about to ask of you," his companion replied. "It's time to finally get this right. Let us finally get our revenge and pay those kids back."

The two men grinned evilly and sat back to watch the dark ocean waves crash upon the rocks below them. Each had their own reasons for wanting revenge on the Hardy's and Nancy Drew, but they shared a common goal: to make them pay.

* * *

**My friends and I are always arguing over who the better man is, Colin Firth or Hugh Grant. Personally I find Hugh Grant hilarious…but there's something about that Colin Firth...! :) **


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Fourth consecutive update, although this one isn't as long as the last few. Just thought I should warn everyone, I may not get the chance to update tomorrow…but I sure am going to try! Thank you all for reading and please review!

Cheryl: Thank you for the kind review! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Shani8: This will be the fourth update in four days! You're right; I should probably back off, otherwise if I miss a day….uh oh!

Whitetigers: Thank you for your review! I love reading your comments! I was actually laughing out loud when I read some of them. Your commentary about the boys is great! :)

KCS: Hopefully some questions about Callie are answered in this chapter. I'm glad I've shown you how fun a Nancy/Frank pairing can be!

Leila91: Thank you for the review and I agree about Hugh Grant. He's good looking and funny, what a great combo!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 10**

Christmas morning came and went in a flurry of colored wrapping paper and memories for both the Hardy's and Nancy Drew.

Nancy spent the day with her father and Hannah and the trio joined Bess and George and their family for dinner. Nancy was so glad to be able to catch up with all of her old friends from River Heights, but always in the back of her mind was a niggling thought: _where's Giamatti?_ She didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling about the entire situation and she had learned a long time ago to trust her instincts.

Instead of dwelling on something she couldn't do anything about until after Christmas, Nancy was determined to have a good time and enjoy the holiday with her family. She knew that her father was upset that she would be leaving the next day but Nancy felt like she _needed_ to be at the Bureau right now. Again, she didn't know why but she wanted to be involved in the takedown of Vincent Giamatti.

It was just her bad luck that every time her mind wandered to thoughts of Giamatti; they inevitably led to her thinking about Frank. For some reason, thinking about Frank caused her to feel more uneasy than she did thinking about an escaped lunatic.

* * *

Frank Hardy stood in his mother's kitchen helping her prepare Christmas dinner. Joe and Vanessa had not yet arrived and Fenton was currently in the back room showing Sam Radley a new model car he had built.

"Thank you for helping me, Frank." Laura smiled at her eldest son and swept his dark hair off of his forehead.

"No problem, Mom." Frank continued to cut up the onions for stuffing. "It is sort of a tradition, isn't it?"

"What is?" Laura asked as she prepared the ham.

"Me, helping you with Christmas dinner," Frank dumped the onions in the bowl with the competence of a man who knew what he was doing.

"Well, your father always finds a reason to be clear on the other end of the house while food is being prepared. He shouldn't come near the kitchen anyway, anything he touches he burns!" Frank laughed; his father really was a horrible cook. He could remember a time when he was twelve and his mother had gone to visit an old college roommate. His father had been in charge of the cooking and it had not been pretty. He and Joe had made a lot of trips to the local gas station to stock up on munchies.

"As for your brother, he does have a knack for showing up right as everything's finished." Laura smiled and wiped her hands on her apron, "but you, my darling boy, are always willing to help. And if I do say so myself, I've taught you well over the years! Your stuffing is really coming along."

"I did learn from the best," Frank smiled at his mom and leaned over to kiss her cheek. He loved spending this time with his mother. She always seemed to steady him, no matter what kind of turmoil was going on in his life. Whenever he was having a hard time and needed someone to sooth away the hurts, he turned to his mother.

Suddenly remembering his conversation with Nancy, Frank decided to ask his mom about the e-mails she and Nancy had been sending back and forth. "I heard you've been talking to Nancy."

Laura paused in what she was doing and turned to face Frank, "Sure, we like to exchange recipes and catch each other up on our lives. She's one amazing woman," noticing the look on Frank's face she paused. "What's wrong, Frank?"

"Nothing," Frank shrugged and added the chicken broth to the bowl.

"Honey, I know when something is bothering you, what is it?" She rested her hand on his shoulder and he turned to face her.

"I don't know mom, I can't tell you why I'm upset. I guess I'm just frustrated because here I am, I haven't really talked to Nancy for five years and I'm learning that my family has been having all of these conversations with her. God, Mom…I was in love with her." It felt weird to finally admit that out loud, something he had been unable to do all of these years.

"Oh honey, you are about the most stubborn man I know. After your father of course," Laura turned and began pulling out silverware to set the table.

"Me? Stubborn? No way, that's Joe's specialty." Frank shook his head and laughed.

"Joe can be a bit strong willed because he likes things done his own way. But he isn't stubborn." When Frank let out a snort of laughter Laura continued gently, "You don't see him pining over a girl for five years, do you?"

Frank was stunned. "I haven't been pining!" he finally managed to get out.

"Honey, since you and Callie split up, how many dates have you been on?" When Frank was silent Laura nodded her head in satisfaction, "Exactly. I happen to know of a young woman who is equally as stubborn as you are and has been on just as many dates as you have over the years. It just so happens that the two of you used to be good friends, once upon a time." Laura turned her back to hide the smile that was lighting up her face. _There, that ought to get the boy thinking!_ She'd leave Nancy and Frank to figure things out on their own, but for now she had given them the push that they both needed. _Otherwise, it might be another five years before I get any grandchildren out of my oldest boy!_

Laura put the ham in the oven and set the timer, her son was standing quietly behind her deep in thought. Laura pulled open the fridge and let out a gasp, "Oh no!" she cried.

"What! What is it?" Frank rushed forward to see if his mom was hurt.

"I forgot sparkling cider! Joe is going to be so upset; we always have sparkling cider on Christmas." Laura looked at Frank who was laughing. "What is so funny?" she demanded with her hands on her hips.

"It's a funny statement about the kind of life you lead when your first reaction to the words 'oh no!' is to check to see if anyone's been injured." Frank shook his head as his mother smiled, in spite of how upset she was over forgetting the cider. "Look Mom, Joe and Vanessa are probably on their way right now, why don't I call them and have them pick some up on their way? I think the grocery store is open for another hour or so."

"Oh, I don't want to do that! Then Joe will know I've forgotten and he made _sure _to remind me about it the other day. How could I have forgotten so quickly?"

"Okay Mom, don't worry about it. I'll run to the store and be right back." Frank washed his hands and grabbed his coat off the back of a chair.

"Thank you, Frank. You're a good son and a good older brother. You know how much Joe likes his traditions," she reached up to give Frank a hug before watching him leave.

On the way to the store Frank thought about what his mother had said. The number of dates Nancy had been on in the last year wasn't necessarily indicative of her feelings for him, was it? She could have just been really busy. He knew how stressful college had been and had once gone through basic training for the FBI, with Nancy herself, for a case back in high school. He knew that it was a time consuming and demanding program.

Perhaps she wasn't dating that much (and if his mother was right and she had dated as much as he had, it wasn't that much at all) because she was busy trying to establish her career. He was sure if he had the desire to date it would be hard for him to find the time. He was always flying off to another state or some foreign country working on cases.

That was one of the reasons why his relationship with Callie had failed so dismally. He had been so busy with college and working on cases that the two had just grown apart. He still felt guilty about how things had ended between them.

He pulled into the near deserted grocery store parking lot and got out of his car. He was somewhat surprised at the relative empty store, but then again the store was about to close and most people in Bayport had probably planned ahead. He pulled the collar of his coat up against the cold wind and shoved his hands in his pockets; he wouldn't be surprised if it snowed tonight.

He waved hello to the checker, grabbed a basket and made his way to the isle that held the sparkling cider. He grabbed a few bottles, calculating how much they would probably need for Sam Radley and his wife, Joe and Vanessa, his parents and himself.

He was just deciding that he should probably play it safe and buy an extra bottle when a quiet voice spoke from behind him. He paused with his hand on the bottle and slowly turned to face Callie Shaw.

"Frank, hi." She smiled timidly up at him.

"Callie." Frank wasn't sure of what to do so he set the bottle of cider he had in his hands in the basket he had set on the floor. He immediately regretted the move when he realized he wasn't sure of what he should do with his hands. "It's been a long time." He finally managed to say.

"Almost two years, at Vanessa's birthday party. I guess I don't make my way east as often as I like. We're here visiting my parents for the holidays." Callie smiled nervously.

"You and Eric," Frank said, referring to the man he knew Callie had met while she was in college in California.

"Yeah," Callie answered and ran a nervous hand through her hair. Frank noticed the ring on her left ring finger, the diamond glittering in the harsh grocery store light.

"You're married." Frank was amazed he didn't feel strangely about that, in fact, he was feeling positively happy for her.

"Oh!" She jumped a little and glanced down at the ring she wore, it still surprised and thrilled her to see it on her finger. She was a lucky woman, "no, not yet. We're getting married this summer."

"Congratulations!" Again, Frank was surprised by how much he meant it. "Really, I'm happy for you Callie."

"Thank you." She smiled at him and this time her smile held no trace of nervousness. "So, it looks like you forgot the same thing I did." She reached past him to grab a few of the bottles and put them in her cart.

"Really?" Frank laughed, "Well, you know how Joe likes his traditions."

"I do, which is why I needed some sparkling cider myself." At Frank's questioning gaze she continued, "Some traditions have a way of staying with you." Frank was a little speechless, "I spent a lot of Christmas' with you and your family, Frank. I developed a taste for sparkling cider on the 25th of December."

The pair walked in companionable silence to the check stand and when they were both finished paying, walked outside together. They stopped at Callie's car and she turned to smile at him, "It was great to see you again Frank."

"You too, congratulations again," Frank smiled.

"See you around," Callie climbed into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. It was a few minutes before Frank headed over to his own car. It really had been good to see Callie and see that she was so happy. It made him wonder what he had been doing for the last five years, why hadn't he taken steps to insure his own happiness?

With a renewed sense of what he needed to do, Frank got into his car and pulled away from the grocery store. First thing tomorrow he was going to do something about Nancy. He just hoped that it wasn't too late for them.

He turned up the music in his car and smiled broadly, he felt better than he had in a long time.

* * *

**I wanted to write Callie into the story and I was originally going to make her out as the bad guy, but I decided not to. I liked seeing them move on together and come to a happy conclusion. I know that was a pretty laid back chapter, but don't worry everyone; the action is going to start picking up soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Look at that, I WAS able to update today! YAY! Thank you all so much for your reviews, they really make my day! I love reading what you guys are thinking about the story and often times your thoughts help me figure out where I want to go next.

Thanks for all who continue to read and welcome newcomers! I hope you all enjoy this update!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 11**

The next morning, Frank stood on the balcony of his apartment drinking his first cup of coffee of the day. He yawned and stretched as he watched some of the kids in the neighborhood playing in the fresh snow that had fallen last night. He smiled as one of the kids threw a snowball at another and soon a full on war had begun.

_Maybe I'll get Joe outside sometime today and start a war of my own, _he grinned at the thought. It had been a long time since he had beaten his little brother at a snowball fight; Joe was about due for a reminder as to who was the stronger brother. He rinsed his mug out and put it in the dishwasher before grabbing his keys off the counter. Checking his watch for what felt like the thousandth time he groaned in frustration, it was still way too early to call Nancy in River Heights. He'd have to wait and call her later.

He pulled on his thick coat and headed out the front door. He made his way towards the _Hardy and Sons Investigations_ office, enjoying how pretty a fresh snow made his hometown. When he arrived and parked his car in the parking lot he was a little surprised to see that Joe was already there. He knew that his father wouldn't be in today because he claimed it was the owner's privilege to not have to work the day after Christmas.

He was locking his car door when he heard a loud rebel yell from behind him followed by a girl screaming. He whirled around to see what was going on and was hit squarely in the chest with a rather large snowball, followed by another, slightly smaller snowball right in his face. He spluttered snow out of his mouth and wiped at his eyes to reveal a grinning Joe and a hysterically laughing Vanessa.

"Did you see his face?" Vanessa doubled over, "oh, it was priceless!"

"I told you this would be worth getting up early for," Joe smiled and began packing another snowball.

"I should have trusted you, Joe. You were absolutely right!" Vanessa was still battling a fit of giggles.

Frank had remained stubbornly silent until he started to find the humor in it, "Oh, you've asked for it now!" he cried and reached down to gather his own snowball. On his way back up he was hit again as Joe let the snowball he had been forming fly.

"Ha!" Joe laughed and ducked behind a car as Frank threw his own snowball. It missed Joe's head by inches.

The trio spent a happy hour playing in the snow and building a snowman. They didn't have the conventional things to help make the snowman, so Joe, Frank and Vanessa raided _Hardy and Sons _for supplies. They came back outside and gave the snowman cans of soup for short stubby arms, a pipe, Sherlock Holmes hat and trench coat (from a joke courtesy of Chet Morton last Halloween), and Christmas candies for the eyes, nose and mouth.

"I think that's the best looking snowman I have ever seen," Vanessa declared when they were finished decorating it. She stood back and Joe put his arm around her.

Joe kissed her temple and pulled her closer, "I agree. It is pretty incredible." Vanessa pulled out her camera and began taking pictures of the snowman and Joe, who was posing in front of the detective snowman.

"I can't believe we just played in the snow like twelve year olds," Frank laughed as Vanessa snapped a picture of him giving Joe bunny ears.

"For a whole _hour!_" Vanessa pointed out.

Frank was surprised, a whole hour? He glanced at his watch and swore, "Nancy!" he cried and ran inside.

"Frank?" Joe called and ran inside after him. "Frank, what about Nancy?"

"I've decided not to waste anymore time with her. I need to call her to…" Frank trailed off when he realized he wasn't sure what he was going to say to Nancy when he did call her. He couldn't just come out and say, _"Hey Nan! Our last conversation was a little weird…but…this one is going to take the cake. Look, I loved you five years ago, wanna see if we still have the spark?"_ No way, that was not going to happen.

"Well, I'm not sure what I'm going to say but I need to call her and see if she'd like to meet for coffee when she gets back to New York." Frank picked up the phone and dialed the number he had known by heart since high school. On the second ring, Hannah's voice greeted him, "Hannah, its Frank Hardy."

"Frank! My dear boy, how are you?"

"I'm great; I was wondering if Nancy was home?" Frank glanced at his brother and Vanessa who were standing there anxiously waiting for the news.

"Oh, I am sorry Frank but Nancy and her father are heading for the airport right now. She's catching an early flight back to New York." Hannah's voice was laced with regret.

"She is? Why?" Frank was confused, why was Nancy going home so soon after Christmas?

"She made a deal with her partner that she wouldn't work on any cases until after Christmas. She took her end of the bargain pretty literally I guess. She said something about Jiminy or Giamaddy or something like that. Why, is something wrong Frank?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I'll just try her cell. Thank you Hannah and Merry Christmas." After saying his goodbyes Frank hung up the phone and realized he didn't have Nancy's cell phone number.

"So?" Joe asked anxiously.

"She's on her way back to New York right now…Hannah said it had something to do with Giamatti." Frank realized that he was going to have to ask Joe for Nancy's cell phone number. For some reason it was lowering to admit he did not know it. "Joe, do you have Nancy's cell phone number?" he asked.

"Oh!" Joe snapped out of his confused trance and walked over to his desk. He pulled out his address book and began flipping through it.

"I didn't know you had an address book," Vanessa commented in a teasing tone.

"Hey, it keeps things organized!" Joe insisted and found the number.

Joe read the number to Frank and Vanessa turned to face him, "I happen to think it's sexy, not dorky." She murmured and leaned in to give him a kiss.

"Well, in that case…you should see how organized our filing room is." Vanessa threw her head back and laughed.

Frank listened to the phone ring over and over in his ear. Finally, Nancy's voicemail picked up and he let out a frustrated sigh, "Nancy, it's me Frank. I was just…" he didn't want to say what he wanted to say over the phone. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me a call when you get this. I'll be at the office most of the day or you can call me on my cell." He gave her the number and said goodbye. He hung up and glanced over at his brother and Vanessa who were busy kissing.

"You two, could you knock it off?" Frank sighed and sat down at his desk.

"Just because I happen to be happily in love and you happen to be frustrated in love, doesn't mean you have to begrudge me the perks that go along with being happily in love." Joe smirked when his brother threw his pencil at him.

"Well, I'll leave you boys to it then." Vanessa laughed and reached down to give Frank a hug, "she'll call, don't worry. That Nancy Drew is no idiot." She murmured to him and turned to give Joe a smacking kiss. "I'll talk to you later!" she called and waltzed out of the room.

Joe watched her leave and Frank rolled his eyes. You could all but see the hearts in his eyes as he watched his girlfriend get into the car and drive away. "She is amazing," Joe muttered.

"She is," Frank replied and started up his computer. With any luck, he'd soon be well on his way to becoming that disgusting about a certain fellow detective.

* * *

In her father's car on the way to the airport Nancy was oblivious to her silently ringing cell phone. She had turned it off in preparation for her flight and so missed the call from Frank.

After she checked in at the airport her father said goodbye to her at the security checkpoint, "Take care, Nancy." He gave her a big hug.

"I will, you too" she hugged him back.

He pulled away from her and gave her a stern look, "and the next time you come home for a vacation, you had better stay there until my time is up, no matter what kind of mob boss escapes from jail."

Nancy laughed, "Absolutely. You have my word." Her tone became serious and she frowned, "but I do hope you understand. I can't explain why, but I just really need to be in on catching Giamatti. Michael has been so frustrating about withholding information from me. I have no idea what's going on, I just need to be at the bureau."

"I understand." He kissed her forehead and then stepped back, "have a safe flight." He called and she waved as she headed for the line for security. When she finally boarded the plane she leaned back and put on her headphones. She needed to try and get as much sleep as possible before she got back to New York. She wanted to be fully aware when she stormed into FBI headquarters and demanded that Michael tell her everything.

* * *

Frank paced the floor of the office and had Joe gritting his teeth. "Frank! Stop it; she's going to call when she's going to call. Pacing like that isn't going to make her call any faster and is only going to drive _me_ crazy!"

Frank sighed and dropped down in his desk, "sorry Joe. I just don't like waiting."

"Bro, you waited five years. What's another five hours or so?" Joe laughed when his brother glared at him.

"That's the problem Joe! I can't stand knowing that we've let this go for five years. Now that I know what I want, what I _need,_ I can't stand to waste another second!" Frank pounded his fist on his desk in frustration.

Joe was surprised at how upset Frank was getting, he was usually the calm levelheaded one of the pair. _He must really be torn up about this_ Joe thought to himself. "Frank, if you can't wait, just drive to New York and see her in person. You said you wanted to talk to her about this face to face anyway, just go! The boss isn't here to stop you and I promise I won't tattle; scouts honor!" Joe raised up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute and had Frank laughing in a distracted sort of way.

Frank stared at his brother for a moment as the idea started to take root in his head, "Yeah, that's a great idea Joe! I'll drive to New York." He jumped up and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. "Do you have her address in that extremely dorky address book of yours?"

"Hey, don't knock the book that's going to get you the love of your life back," Joe reached for it and quickly wrote down an address.

Frank took the address and whistled, "Swanky stuff, the FBI must pay pretty well."

"You want me to go with you?" Joe asked. "I could keep you company on the ride up and sit awkwardly on her couch while you try and confess your undying devotion to her."

"Yeah, as appealing as that sounds I'm going to have to turn you down on that one." Frank shook his head and headed out the door.

"Good luck!" Joe called after him as Frank rushed outside to his car.

* * *

Nancy yawned hugely as the elevator in her building brought her to her floor. She hadn't been able to sleep the entire flight, the man next to her had continually jabbed her in the side the entire time. Then, when she had arrived in New York she had been told her luggage had been accidentally sent to Seattle. While she waited around trying to sort all of that out, she was told that her luggage had actually not been sent to Seattle but had been offloaded onto the wrong baggage claim conveyor belt. When she made her way to the right one, her bag was the only bag making its sad way around and around the conveyor belt.

Now that she was finally home she was tired and just wanted to take a nap. _So much for being on your toes when you go into work, _she thought to herself. _Instead of storming in you're going to be dragging on all fours, this traveling stuff really takes a lot of you._ She reached her apartment door and paused, fumbling in her purse for her keys. Her hand bumped against her cell phone and seeing the message light blinking, she pulled it out and began to listen to her voicemail.

She inserted her key in the lock as Frank Hardy spoke in her ear, "_Nancy, it's me Frank. I was just…Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me a call when you get this._" Nancy frowned at the tone of Frank's voice as she pushed open the door to her apartment. She turned around to heft her large bag in behind her as she listened to the rest of the message. "_I'll be at the office most of the day or you can call me on my cell…"_ but Nancy didn't hear the rest of the message because she was suddenly grabbed from behind and her cell phone fell to the floor.

Her arms were pulled viciously behind her and she gritted her teeth as an explosion of pain rocketed up her right arm. "Be quiet, don't make a sound." A voice growled in her ear.

Nancy opened her mouth to let out a yell when a burly man from the other side of the room stormed over and shoved something in her mouth, "there that oughta do it." He grinned maliciously at her and Nancy turned her head at the smell of his stale breath.

Nancy struggled with her captor and he cursed when her foot connected with his shin. Her training did not allow for her to be taken down lightly. "Help me with her!" The man who had her arms pinned growled at the man who had shoved the rag in her mouth.

Together, the two men overpowered Nancy and wrestled her into one of her dining room chairs. They quickly tied her hands and feet to the chair, the rope cutting into her flesh and causing her to bleed. She was oddly satisfied to see that her captors were having a hard time catching their breath.

The man who had been holding her rubbed his shin gingerly, "That really hurt!" he growled and smacked Nancy across the face. He laughed as he watched her head snap to the side. Nancy's vision took a moment to clear before she turned her head to glare at her attacker. The man made as if he was going to hit her again and Nancy braced for the blow. Just then, there was a loud knock on her door and both of the men grew silent.

Nancy started to struggle again and tried to make as much noise as her gag would allow. She wanted whoever was out there to hear her and call the police, she screamed inside her gag and hoped that the sound was loud enough to attract attention.

"Shut up!" the first thug hissed at her. The second man reached back and hit Nancy so hard she saw stars. Her last thought before losing consciousness was, _so it really is true…you do see stars..._

* * *

Frank Hardy let out a triumphant shout when he finally found a parking space in front of Nancy's building. He had been around the block so many times, finally on his fourth time around he saw someone pulling away from the curb in front of him.

He quickly parked and headed into the building. He saw that Nancy lived on the third floor and hurried to the elevator. _Please let her be home, please let her be home_. He repeated the words like a mantra in his head as he waited impatiently for the elevator to reach her floor.

When the doors finally opened he hurried down the hall, glancing at the numbers on the doors before finally finding Nancy's. He took a deep breath before knocking. He frowned when there were no signs of life behind the door.

He knocked again, this time louder. He strained his ears when he heard a muffled thump behind the closed door. "Nancy?" he called. What was she doing? Was she ignoring him? He knocked and called out her name again.

Frank was starting to get concerned so he reached down to try the door handle. He was a little surprised to find that it turned, unlocked. Years of experience had him pushing the door cautiously open. Nancy's apartment was dark and seemingly deserted; he made his way farther into the room and glanced around. He was just about to let out a cry of surprise when he noticed Nancy slumped over unconscious in a chair when he was hit from behind. He was unconscious before he had fallen all the way to the floor.

* * *

**Review?**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Geez, I hope this chapter makes sense. I wrote it in an exhausted blur this morning and have only had one chance to re-read it and make sure everything flows. I throw a lot of information at you in this one, I've got my fingers crossed that it all makes sense! If you need something clarified, just let me know. :)

KCS: what a wonderful compliment! Thank you so much!

Whitetigers: I laughed out loud at your knight in shining armor comment!!

I wish I had time to write individual replies to all of your AWESOME reviews…but I've procrastinated on my work long enough. :) I just want you all to know how much I LOVE getting your reviews, they really make my day. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 12**

Frank groaned as he slowly began to regain consciousness, he opened his eyes slowly to the bright lights overhead. It took him a moment to remember exactly where he was and he looked around Nancy's apartment. He was lying awkwardly on his side, stuck between the couch and the coffee table with his arms and legs tied and a gag in his mouth.

He could see no signs of the two men who had knocked him out and started to slowly struggle with his bonds to test how strong they were. He finally concluded with disgust that the two goons apparently knew what they were doing, because the knots on the rope refused to budge. He instead started focusing his efforts on trying to get out from behind the couch to see if he could find Nancy.

"Look, that ones awake," growled a voice from the kitchen area of the apartment. All of a sudden the two thugs descended on Frank and yanked him up off the floor. They set him down on another chair and one of them began tying him to it. Finally, Frank could see Nancy. She had a line of blood running down her face and she was still slumped over unconscious. Frank struggled with his bonds as his fear for Nancy threatened to overwhelm him.

"Stop struggling!" the man tying his arms to the chair growled in frustration.

The other goon turned to look at Frank struggling and punched him hard in the face, "that oughta settle him down." Frank's head snapped back at the blow and he could feel the blood starting to trickle out of his nose. He shook his head to clear his vision and stopped struggling.

"Look at that, she's waking up." The man behind Frank commented. Frank watched as Nancy woke up slowly and started panicking against the bonds that held her. She struggled for a moment before she must have remembered what had happened, her eyes fell on Frank's and he could see her surprise at seeing him there.

"Make the call, Jack." The one standing in front of Frank told Jack, standing behind him. Jack gave another solid yank on the ropes holding Frank that had him wincing in pain before stepping out from behind him.

He pulled out a phone and dialed a number, "Yeah boss, we got her." He listened for a moment, "we also got one of the others." Silence. "I don't know boss, he just showed up." After listening for a few more minutes he hung up the phone and turned to face his companion. "The boss is coming. He said to keep these two on their toes until he gets here, try and find out any information."

"Excellent," the thug grinned, displaying his gold front tooth. Frank's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the tooth, he looked back and forth between the two men, had he seen them somewhere before?

He was stopped from trying to place them when Jack leaned behind Nancy and held a knife to her throat. "My partner here is going to remove your gag." He said to Frank, "You will not make any noise, or I will cut her throat. Do you understand?"

Frank stared in horror at the gleaming blade being held against the pale column of Nancy's throat. "Answer!" the thug demanded and pressed the knife into Nancy's flesh, causing a trickle of blood to make its way down her neck. Frank hastily nodded his head, his fear for Nancy written clearly all over his face.

"Jerry, remove his gag," Jack nodded towards Frank and the man who was called Jerry leaned over and grabbed Frank's hair and pulled his head back with a hard yank. He pulled the gag out of Frank's mouth and released his hold on his hair.

"Now, what is your name?" Jack asked as he straightened up behind Nancy. Even though he no longer held the knife to Nancy's throat, Frank knew when a man meant business and so didn't want to take any chances by yelling out for help.

"You obviously know who I am already, why ask my name?" Frank's throat was dry from having the gag in his mouth for so long. He swallowed, trying to clear out the cotton mouth.

He was so busy trying to clear his voice he didn't even see Jerry's ham-sized fist flying straight at his stomach, the breath was knocked clear out of him and he was left doubled over in his chair trying to catch his breath. He could hear Nancy whimper from across the room. The sound had him concerned that the men had decided to take their anger at him out on Nancy and so had him raising his head to make sure she was okay.

They locked eyes for a moment, communicating a thousand words they couldn't say between them, _it will be okay_. He tried to reassure her with a look before his head was snapped viciously back as Jerry landed another blow. Frank gasped as he began to choke on his own blood; he leaned forward and felt the blood trickle onto his shirt. Nancy was struggling violently now against her bonds, trying to get to Frank.

"Its okay, Nancy." Frank wanted to get her to stop because he knew that if she annoyed their captors at all they would show her the same treatment he was getting. Frank spat some blood out of his mouth and glared at Jack, "fine, I get it. My name is Frank Hardy."

"Ah, so you're the older brother, is that correct?" Jack ran his fingers across the sharp knife he held in his hand.

"Who are you?" Frank asked instead of answering, he was treated to another blow to his face for his trouble.

"You're not exactly in a position to be asking any questions," Jack sneered at him.

"Yeah, I'm the older brother." Frank didn't bother asking how he knew anything about him and his brother.

There was a knock on the door and Jerry went over to peek through the security hole to see who it was. "It's the boss," he told Jack before opening the door.

Because Frank was facing away from the door he couldn't see who it was, he could only see Nancy's confused and then hostile stare at the man who entered the room. When the man moved further into the apartment and Frank could see him, he understood Nancy's reaction. Vincent Giamatti was standing in Nancy's living room with a rather pleased look on his face. He wore a crisp, dark and expensive suit and held a cigar clamped in his lips.

"Giamatti," Frank spat the words out.

"Yes, Giamatti," the man hooked his hands on to his lapels and rocked back on the balls of his feet. "Why, it looks like my men have done quite the number on you Frank Hardy." He glanced at Nancy, "but it looks like Nancy still needs to do a little catching up."

"You leave her alone!" Frank growled. Giamatti only smiled.

"Ah, so that is how the wind blows," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully before turning to his men. "Remove her gag, please." As Jack moved towards Nancy, Giamatti carefully lit his cigar. "I don't think I need to tell you, Nancy my dear that if you yell for help I will shoot your friend Frank here."

Nancy glared at the man as her gag was removed. "What are you doing here, Giamatti?" she demanded. "I don't remember inviting you over for dinner."

"Oh, I do love a girl who has spunk." Giamatti clapped his hands together in delight. He smiled at Frank, who was having a hard time staying focused from all of the blows to the head he had received. "Do you never wonder why I came after you three, all those years ago?"

"_You_ came after us?" Nancy asked in disbelief.

"I see you are not the detectives I thought you were. Oh, what pleasure I will have in telling you what I have been building up to all these years." Giamatti leaned closer towards Nancy and she couldn't help but stare into his cold dark eyes. _His eyes are like a shark's_ she thought to herself _cold and expressionless until he decides to strike. _She was looking into the eyes of a mad man.

"It was because of you, Nancy Drew. At least, originally. At first I thought it a marvelous joke that I should play with the daughter of the man who was trying to send me to prison. I used Gabriel DiMeo as my puppet, so that none of the blame could be placed on me. I wanted to make the people closest to you, suffer. In so doing I would make your father suffer, the man who was apparently succeeding in getting me locked away for good." he ran a hand over Nancy's hair and she cringed.

"I was outlining my plan when I was approached by a man who also thirsted for revenge, which is where the Hardy Boys enter our little game. I manipulated Gabriel DiMeo into kidnapping your father; I was rather surprised when he was able to pull it off. Of course, the idiot only wanted to please me...I told him he could be my own personal apprentice, he practically swooned at the offer. Anyway, he was supposed to kill Frank, because I figured that the death of a friend would make you suffer greatly." He paused and ran a finger down Nancy's cheek, she tried to jerk her face away from his chilling touch and that only made him chuckle. "Fiesty." He murmured. "Who would have thought that killing Frank would have been even more devestating for you, seeing as how its obvious how you two feel about one another."

He straightened and continued his tale, "Anyway, that plan went to hell when DiMeo was captured, thanks to you three, we had him disposed of. I can't handle incompetence." He was talking as if he was having a pleasant conversation over afternoon tea. Nancy shuddered, the man really was insane.

"Anyway, there were a few other hiccups in our plan, but thanks to my new business associate, things have ended up far more perfectly than I could have ever imagined. I'm glad to have two of you here at once. I was just going to rely on Ms. Drew to pass my message along, but now I can be sure that there will be no error in the retelling." He leaned down and blew his cigar smoke into Frank's face, Frank glared back.

"My partner and I have some revenge to seek," he murmured and poked Frank where a bruise was already forming on his face. Frank hissed in pain but did not take his eyes of Giamatti. "And let this be a warning, my partner is far angrier at you than I am, which is saying something. You had better beware, because everyone you have ever known is in danger. Your father messed up my life Ms. Drew and all of you messed up my partners. Consider this a friendly warning: life is about to get very hard for you two and your brother Joe."

He straightened up and motioned towards Jack, who had been lounging against the wall. "Untie this one from his chair but keep his arms tied, remove the rope from his legs." Jack did as he was told and when he was finished dumped Frank unceremoniously onto the floor. Frank groaned when Jack added a vicious kick to his midsection.

"I am going to leave you now. Trying to get out of your current situation shouldn't be too hard for the world famous Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy, but it should buy me plenty of time to get away from here." Giamatti bowed to Frank and Nancy before heading towards the door, "Do enjoy yourselves over the next few weeks, I look forward to making your lives hell."

With that he walked out of the door, Jerry supplying a good-bye kick to Frank as they followed the mob boss out into the hall and shut the door.

Nancy and Frank were silent for a moment, Frank unable to catch his breath. His mind was numb from the pain in his stomach and head, he could barely move.

"Frank?" Nancy whispered frantically, "Frank! Are you okay?"

Frank groaned as he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, which was easier said than done considering he was without the use of his arms. He leaned back against Nancy's couch and nodded, "I'm okay, you?" he noted the bruise that was forming on Nancy's face and he had a hard time containing the rage that was welling up inside of him, "They hit you." He growled before she could answer.

She let out a small laugh, "I've been hit before Frank." She grew serious again, "they hit you a lot worse than they hit me." Frank saw the concern in her eyes.

Frank looked around at the floor and noticed the blood he had left on her rug, "sorry about your rug." He grimaced.

Nancy smiled a small smile, "I think I'll be able to find it in my heart to forgive you. Now, what do you say we try and get out of these ropes, Hardy?"

"I'd say that's an excellent idea." Frank agreed. After a few minutes of painful effort, Frank gained his feet. "I'm guessing you have knives in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, try the second drawer on the right of the sink."

Frank made his way into the kitchen and found the right drawer, "you're very organized aren't you?" he called out and he heard Nancy laugh.

"Just cut me out of here, Hardy."

It took many minutes of cursing and trying to open the drawer with his hands tied behind his back before he finally got the knife out. It took several more minutes before he figured out a way to cut the rope that held his wrists. He settled on holding the knife in one hand and very carefully sawing at the rope that was looped across his other wrist. No matter how careful he was, he still felt the knife cut into his flesh. By the time he was done he was out of breath and he had fresh cuts on top of the chafing from the rope on his wrists. He walked over to Nancy and quickly untied her legs and finally, standing in front of her, reached behind her and freed her hands.

When her hands were free Nancy let out a sob and threw herself at Frank and wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you." She murmured in his ear. They finally pulled apart and lines of concern etched Nancy's face. "They really did a number on you Frank," she whispered and softly touched the bruise on his face.

"I'm alright." Frank swallowed at the feeling of her touching him. His heart was racing and not just from the physical exertion of freeing them from their bonds.

"Here, let me look at you." She stood up and swayed shakily, the blood rushing back to her legs. Frank stood up as well and helped her to the kitchen. Once there he leaned against the counter next to the sink and let her examine his face. She got out a dishcloth and got it wet, she dabbed at the blood that was slowly drying on Frank's face.

Frank stared at her as Nancy worried her bottom lip, "it isn't that bad, is it?" he asked her and earned a watery laugh, her eyes beginning to well up.

"No, I've seen you look worse."

"When?" he asked incredulously and earned a laugh from Nancy.

"You know, I'm not sure." She finished on his face and stepped back to the sink, "okay, lift your shirt up."

"What? No way," Frank was stunned by his sudden feelings of embarrassment.

"What's this, Frank Hardy afraid to show a little skin?" Nancy teased with her hands on her hips. Frank sighed in resignation and slowly lifted up his shirt. The teasing light that had entered Nancy's eyes slowly died when she saw the array of dark bruises covering Frank's torso. "Oh, Frank." She breathed and stood standing in quiet shock. "Let's get you to the couch." She rushed forward and put his arm over her shoulders.

"I think I'm okay to walk, Nance." Frank said.

"I know, I know…"

Frank could feel her trembling beside him and he decided not to argue the point any further. When she had gently lowered him to the couch she rushed quickly back to the kitchen and came back a few moments later with bags of ice. "Here, this might help." She laid one of the bags of ice on his side and Frank winced at the extreme cold. "Sorry," she murmured.

Frank looked down at Nancy's hands holding the bags of ice to his side. He stiffened when he saw the raw skin around her wrists, it was bleeding in some spots. "Look at you, you're hurt too."

"Oh, it's just a little rope burn." She tried to pull her hands away but he reached forward and grasped them firmly in his.

"Let me see," his eyes clouded over as he expected the angry marks. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," he murmured.

Nancy yanked her hands out of his grasp and stalked across the room, "how many times do I have to tell you, I don't need protection, Frank. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me, for getting you into this mess."

Frank was silent for a moment, not sure of what to say. "Just what are you doing here, anyway?" Nancy asked suspiciously.

Frank let out a deep breath; suddenly sure of exactly what he needed to tell Nancy. He got slowly to his feet and crossed the room to face her. She looked at him warily but didn't move. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nancy, I made the wrong choice five years ago." He pushed a strand of her strawberry blonde hair off her forehead and continued, "I regret that decision to this day."

"What are you talking about?" Nancy pushed Frank's hand away from her hair and quickly turned her back on him.

"Nancy, you know what I'm talking about." Frank replied quietly.

Nancy did know, but she hugged her arms to herself protectively. "Frank, we're different people then we were back then."

"You know, I thought the same thing. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that that's just another excuse to keep us apart." Frank grabbed Nancy's shoulders and turned her so that she was facing him. "But if you really feel that way, I'm willing to spend the time to get to know the Nancy you are now, because you're that important to me."

Nancy swallowed and looked anywhere but at Frank, finally her gaze fell on his serious expression and she sighed. Who was she kidding? She had been in love with Frank Hardy for the better part of her life. "At the risk of sounding like a total cliché, I think we do need to take some time with this. No matter if it's an excuse or not, we _are_ different people Frank."

"I agree," he pulled Nancy towards him and wrapped his arms around her. They stood in silence for a long time, reveling in the fact that they seemed to finally have the other person back into their lives. In spite of the turmoil that was surrounding them, it felt good to be with each other again.

When they pulled apart Nancy smiled up at him, "Frank, when are we going to start discussing what just happened here? We must be more banged up than we thought, we haven't talked about _any _of this yet."

"You're right, that's very unlike us." Frank smiled and rubbed Nancy's arms. "Where do we begin?"

"First, I'm going to call the bureau and have them send a team over to go over every inch of this place. I want to know how those goons got into my apartment and I want any evidence that was left collected and processed to be used against that mad man Giamatti."

Frank threw his head back and laughed, but stopped abruptly when the movement agitated his sore ribs, he rubbed them gently but continued to smile at Nancy, "that's the Nancy I know!"

"While I'm doing that you're going to sit yourself down and relax or I'm going to take you to the hospital for observation."

Frank narrowed his eyes, "you wouldn't."

"I would, so sit down and make yourself comfortable. After I'm done making my call, we're going to sit down and talk this out. I'm feeling just as confused as you are." She marched to the front door where he purse still lay from when she had been grabbed earlier.

Frank watched her as he made his way towards her couch, "you're bossier than I remember." Frank grumbled as he sat down.

"You better believe it. Don't move and put that ice on your ribs." She flashed him a sweet smile as she waited for Michael to answer at the bureau. "Pretty please." She added and made Frank laugh. Oh yes, that was the Nancy he remembered.

…………

Joe Hardy walked tiredly up the steps to his apartment at the end of the day, _why did we move into a place that doesn't have elevators?_ He thought grumpily. The next place we move to is either going to be on the first floor or have elevators. Maybe they'd even get a house. After he proposed to Vanessa they'd need to start looking for a house to start raising their kids in. He smiled as he thought of Vanessa running after kids in a big backyard, _someday_ he thought to himself.

He unlocked his front door and stepped inside, "Vanessa?" he called out.

"Joe! I'm back here, I was just about to take a shower." He heard her call from the back room.

"Oh! Hold on, I'll be right there!" he called back.

He heard her giggle, "No, I'm taking a shower _alone_. Callie is in town and I'm going out to meet up with her for girl talk." Joe heard her moving around in their room as he took his coat off and went into the kitchen for a soda. He had just popped the can open when he heard Vanessa calling for him from the back.

"Changed your mind?" he teased as he walked down the hall towards their bedroom. He walked in to see Vanessa standing outside the bathroom door staring in shock at something inside it. "Vanessa?" Joe's voice rose in concern, "what is it?" he rushed forward and passed her to go into the bathroom.

He didn't need her to respond, he saw immediately what had upset her. Scrawled in ugly red letters that looked an awful lot like blood was one word, "revenge."

**Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I actually hit a nasty bit of writers block on this chapter, I was unsure of what I should do next!! That's why this chapter is being posted so late in the day; it just took a long time to finish it. I have this sinking feeling that the story is coming to a close and I'm not ready for that yet! Don't worry though; the end is not really in sight. :)

Once again, thanks to everyone who is reviewing, I laugh out loud at some of your comments and they always make me smile. :) But, I want to get this chapter out pronto, so without further ado, on to chapter 13! Enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 13**

Nancy and Frank sat in awkward silence, Frank on the far end of the couch and Nancy on a chair at the opposite side of the room. The forensic team had just left after spending a couple of hours combing over Nancy's apartment. During that time Frank had received a phone call from Joe about the message written on the mirror in his bathroom. He knew that local police had come and collected whatever evidence they could from Joe's apartment and they were waiting for the official results.

As for the results from the scan of Nancy's apartment, it was determined that the point of entry had been her front door. Nancy was still kicking herself over being too distracted to notice the fine marks on her front door handle, a telltale sign that the lock had been picked.

The forensic team was able to collect a few things, hairs and ashes from Giamatti's cigar, all evidence that would help indict Giamatti and the two thugs for the assault. Nothing however, brought them any closer to figuring out what to do next.

"So," Frank said, finally breaking the silence. Nancy remained quiet as she thought over everything that had happened that night. "I called my parents, told them to be extra careful. Did you call your father and Hannah?"

Nancy nodded but remained silent. Frank continued, "Joe and Vanessa are going to be on their best behavior and Joe's currently calling all of our friends. Have you called George and Bess?"

Again Nancy nodded in a distracted sort of way. There was more silence as Frank ran out of things to say, "Nancy? Anyone home?"

"I'm trying to figure out what to do," she murmured. "We can't just let Giamatti and whatever villain he is currently working with mess with our lives."

"I know, but where do we start? I suppose we could try and figure out who he's working with." Frank leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He did his best to ignore his protesting ribs from the uncomfortable position.

"I was thinking that myself." Nancy stood and started pacing the room. Frank watched in silence, he could all but see the wheels in her head turning. "Giamatti said that his business associate was someone who wanted revenge on both me and you and Joe." She stopped. "How many cases have we worked on together?"

Frank whistled, "That is a very long list. How do we narrow it down?"

"It's too bad we don't have a convenient listing of all the cases we ever worked on together," she resumed her pacing. "If we had that we could go through the FBI database and check the status of every person we've ever helped send to prison, find out where they are now." Nancy continued to mutter to herself before she realized Frank was trying to get her attention.

"Nancy!" he called out, "I do have a list like that," he was finally able to say when she turned to look at him.

She stopped, "you do?"

"Yeah, dad thought it was good form and good professional practice to keep a case file for every case we've ever worked on. The files take up an entire room at our office in Bayport."

"Well, that's a start, but I bet you don't have them all conveniently flagged with a sticker that says, 'cases worked with Nancy Drew'. It will take hours to go through them all, but I guess that's our only option. Let's take a drive." She reached for her coat.

"Whoa now, hold on a second. Did the FBI program you to move and think at lightening speed or something? First off, no we didn't label them with a convenient 'Nancy Drew' tag but they are all logged into the computer database I created years ago. A simple search of your name will show us every case we ever worked on together. Second, there's no need to drive all the way to Bayport, only to drive all the way back here to access FBI files. Last I checked I still had a father and brother in Bayport who could easily go to the office and get us the information we need."

Nancy had the grace to look embarrassed, "you're right. I moved a little fast."

"A little?" Frank teased.

"Just call Joe," she threw herself down on the couch next to Frank and took a deep breath. She really needed to relax and start thinking clearly. Giamatti's threat to make the people in her life pay and his mention of killing Frank had her really worked up.

She listened as Frank explained to Joe what they needed, "Do you have a fax machine?" he asked Nancy. She listed off the number and Frank repeated it. After a few more minutes of conversation Frank closed his phone, "now, if you can stand it, we wait." He smiled when she rolled her eyes at him. "Tell me about the FBI."

"What about it?" she played with the fringe on one of her couch pillows.

"Why the FBI? Why not private investigation or...professional wrestling?"

"Professional wrestling?" the thought surprised a laugh out of her. "I guess I settled on the FBI for a number of reasons. I love solving crime, tracking down the bad guy, making the world a better place…all the typical wannabe superhero stuff." Frank laughed, "I guess I figured the highest level of catching the worst criminals is either the CIA or FBI."

"How did you choose between the two?"

"It was simple, really. Remember Agent Burr, from Quantico?" Frank nodded; Agent Burr had been the director of operations at the FBI training facility when Nancy, Joe and Frank had worked on cases there. "Anyway, he was the first one to approach me during my last year of college. The CIA came the day after. I picked the one that came first and I was most familiar with." She shrugged, "I like to think I made the right decision."

"Joe and I were approached by the FBI as well. Remember Audrey, from Quantico?"

"Yeah, she works out of DC."

"Well, she approached Joe and me a couple of years ago, asked us to join the FBI. We declined, obviously, but Joe seriously thought about it for awhile. I think he was attracted to the intrigue of it all. When he realized that he could get the same thing out of a private business with dad and me, and that Vanessa was there in Bayport, he decided to pass."

Nancy nodded, "you two are too big for the bureau anyway."

Frank laughed, "thank you, I think."

"No really, you and Joe are so much better than the FBI. You're a great team and I think the bureau would squash that, unintentionally of course." Nancy smiled as she looked at Frank's stunned expression. "Don't let it go to your head, Frank."

"Well…what about you? Don't you think you're a little big for the FBI yourself? You were always so irritated when they showed up to ruin an investigation."

Nancy laughed, "That is true." She agreed. "But now that I'm a part of the FBI, I find that I _love_ the part where I get to swoop in and take an investigation under my control."

Frank grinned; he was in awe of how little Nancy had changed over the years. "So, is Agent Burr still as gruff as I remember?"

"That's Director Burr to you," Nancy corrected him, "he is a very powerful man nowadays, and hardly ever has to leave his office. It drives him crazy." She smiled when she thought of the Director. Since being promoted he had found his time in the field drop dramatically. The more days that went by and he didn't find himself out in the field, the antsier he became.

Nancy glanced over at Frank and grew instantly wary at his expression, when he leaned forward she laid a hand on his chest to stop the movement. "What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Frank smiled, "I was just thinking that we sure are getting to know each other again fast."

"No, no we are not." Nancy gave his chest a small shove. "Get away from me Frank Hardy. Just because you know how I found myself in the FBI doesn't mean you know everything about the person I am now."

Frank only continued to smile, "oh, I think I know a lot more than that. I know that you're loyal, the way your voice warms at the thought of poor old Director Burr being stuck in his office. I know that you're still the same levelheaded woman I knew from five years ago, the way you handled yourself tonight was incredible and I know you like to share recipes with my mother."

"Fine, you know two things about me. There's more to me than loyalty and levelheadedness." She didn't move when he shifted closer but the look of wariness didn't leave her face either.

"I know that," Frank murmured and leaned down slowly. His lips were a whispers breath away from hers when a beeping noise from one of the back bedrooms interrupted them.

Nancy sprang up off the couch, "that's the fax machine." She said and hurried out of the room.

Frank ran a frustrated hand through his hair; _would they _always_ get interrupted by something?_ Nancy came back into the room clutching a few pieces of paper; she scanned the first page before handing it to Frank. Reading the list in front of him had a flood of memories rushing over Frank. There was a case when they had all been on a cruise together, yet another when they had been in Amsterdam looking for a stolen cache of gold. On the second sheet was the case they had worked together at Quantico and the one they had worked on together in Egypt.

"Lots of memories," Nancy murmured as she finished looking at the last sheet and handed it to Frank.

"That's for sure," Frank agreed. "You know, we could probably eliminate some of these ourselves, you hear things about people sometimes."

They sat down and together crossed off over half the names on the list. They had either died in prison or were without a doubt still incarcerated. "Well, that certainly makes it an easier list to tackle." Nancy sat back, "_Now_ can we go rushing off? I'm just itching to get back into the bureau."

Frank laughed and pulled Nancy forward for a quick kiss, "you're amazing Nancy Drew. Amazing."

Nancy was startled at Frank's spontaneous display and watched numbly as Frank got off the couch and walked over to retrieve his coat. When Frank glanced back Nancy was still sitting on the couch, "I thought you were in a hurry, Ms. Drew?"

Frank's voice snapped Nancy out of her reverie and she quickly stood up and ran nervous hands down her front, straightening her shirt. "Well," was all she said.

"Why so flustered?" Frank asked in a teasing tone.

Nancy stiffened, well if Frank could be so casual about a simple kiss, a simple kiss that had rocked her clear down to her toes, then so could she. "I'm not flustered. Ask, next time, before you decided to assault my mouth." She waltzed passed him and opened her front door.

"You should probably get your jacket," he said, not moving from his spot by the door. Nancy spun angrily around and grabbed her jacket before stalking back out the door, "and your purse, I imagine you're going to need your purse." Frank called after her.

Nancy growled in frustration and went back to retrieve her purse. With all the dignity she could muster she sailed past Frank and out into the hall. She waited patiently for him to follow before she carefully locked the door behind him.

Nancy was wrong about one thing; Frank had felt the simple kiss down to his toes as well. He was just choosing to be pleased and a bit smug about it that was all. He followed her into the elevator, smiling all the way.

* * *

"I feel so official," Frank said an hour later as Nancy guided him around FBI headquarters. He fingered the badge he wore on his chest that was emblazoned with the FBI seal and the letter 'v' for visitor.

"This is my office," Nancy informed Frank when they reached a door. She opened it for him and Frank walked in ahead of her. On the ride over Nancy had maintained a stony silence but since arriving at the bureau she seemed to have gotten over the majority of her anger at Frank.

Frank let out a low whistle, "fancy digs." He said appreciatively, looking around the room. The room had two desks in it, both with high-powered computers on them. There was a large bay window overlooking the area outside. There was a middle aged man sitting at one of the desks wearing a crisp dark suit. He rose when he saw Nancy.

"Nancy! I heard about everything that happened at your apartment, are you alright?" he came over to inspect the cut on her forehead.

"I'm fine Michael." She turned to motion at Frank. "Michael, this is Frank Hardy. Frank, this is my partner Agent Knight."

"Call me Michael," he said and offered Frank his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Frank said, taking the Agent's hand and shaking it.

When Nancy explained to him what they were doing, the older Agent frowned, 'No offense to you, Frank because I know you are a very famous man and have solved more cases than I could even fathom, but don't you think it's not exactly kosher to have a civilian in here looking at FBI information? As accomplished as you are Frank, I don't think the bureau would like it too much."

Nancy patted Michael's cheek and had him wincing, "Frank won't be looking up the information. I will be. Besides Frank is signed in as a guest of mine who is touring the facilities, thinking about a possible career in the FBI, which I'm sure the FBI would be thrilled to learn. They've been wanting him and his brother to join for years."

Frank looked at Nancy, "years? But they only approached us that one time."

Nancy smiled, "yes, but they've been drooling over your work for years." She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. "Let's see," she murmured and her fingers began to fly across the keyboard. Frank took a seat next to her desk and watched her work. He loved the way her eyes became so focused and intense when she was working and how her hair fell out from behind her ear, only to be pushed back again.

"Okay, I'm inputting all the names from the list into the system, which will tell us what we need to know." She finished typing and hit enter, waiting for the list she was looking for to pop up. When it did she hit print and grabbed it off her printer. She laid it down so that both she and Frank could examine the results.

Together they worked their way down the list, slowly checking off the people who could not be working with Giamatti. Both Nancy and Frank paused when they reached a name about halfway down the list.

"When did that happen?" Nancy looked up at Frank.

"Why didn't we know about it?" Frank asked.

Nancy turned to her computer and typed in a name and waited impatiently for the results to come up. She scanned the text on the computer quickly, her eyes narrowing the further down on the page she got.

"I don't believe it," she whispered.

"Well?" Frank prompted.

"Well, it looks like we've found our man." Nancy sighed and sat back in her chair. "It says here that Jonathan Krieger, the man who used us to smuggle a bomb into Egypt all those years ago, was 'released' from Egyptian jail six years ago and hasn't been seen since." Nancy's eyes met Frank's as they realized what this meant. Giamatti may well be insane, but mad men often made fatal mistakes that led to their demise. On the other hand, Jonathan Krieger was a cold and calculating man, he wouldn't make mistakes easily.

* * *

**Sorry, I don't know **_**anything**_** about the protocols and inner workings of the FBI…which I guess is a nod to the security of our government. :) Also, I'm sorry if some of you aren't familiar with the case involving Jonathan Krieger, but he was in **_**Secrets of the Nile,**_**quite possibly one of the **_**best**_** Super Mysteries of all time, I highly recommend it. If anyone would like the name of any of the other Super Mysteries mentioned in this chapter, let me know, I would be happy to supply them! Don't worry if you don't know who Krieger is, I'll try and explain him in the next chapter. P.S. Did anybody else miss Joe in this chapter? I sure did! Don't worry, Joe will make it back into the thick of things in the next update, but it sure felt like I was missing something without him! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! I may not get the chance to update tomorrow; I have a busy day at work full of meetings (gag). I'll start the next chapter now, while I have some down time and see if I can get it out tomorrow. If not, look for an update on Tuesday. Thank you all for continuing to read! Let me know what you think and enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 14**

The next day found Nancy, Frank and Joe sitting in Nancy's living room discussing the case. "Can I just say, I am _thrilled_ by all of this?" Joe leaned back and took another sip from his Coke.

Nancy looked up from the papers she was reading and stared at Joe incredulously, "you can't be serious? Everyone we've ever known is in danger right now and you're _thrilled?_"

Joe rolled his eyes, "Nan, obviously I'm not thrilled about that. It just feels good to be doing something again."

"Yeah, and you're doing so much," Frank stared pointedly at Joe's relaxed position on Nancy's couch, his feet propped up on a plush ottoman.

"Hey, I leave the boring research to the two of you. I'm just here to chase 'em down." Joe took another carefree sip of his soda.

"Alright, what do we know about Krieger?" Nancy sat back and looked at Frank.

"Well, more than six years ago he posed as a government official to get us to smuggle a bomb into Egypt for him. He worked for a company called the Aquarius Group, which dealt with finding new ways to bring water to more people. They were working on a deal with the Egyptian government to find water in the desert, to give the beleaguered Nile a break. Krieger was approached by the companies that stood to lose if the Nile wasn't the main source of water anymore. He entered into a crooked deal, planning on forging the results in exchange for a portion of the kickbacks. A US Senator, Senator Nasser was a part of the deal until he got cold feet; it was then that Krieger decided to eliminate Nasser as a possible threat. It was then that he came up with the plan to use us to smuggle in the bomb components and blow up Senator Nasser while he was in Egypt for a benefit." Frank turned to look at Joe and then at Nancy, "does that pretty much cover it?"

'I'd say so, big brother," Joe lifted his can in salute.

"Okay, so we all know what happened during the case and immediately after, but what we don't know is what happened after we were no longer involved." Nancy shuffled the papers in front of her. "According to the FBI database, Jonathan Krieger was charged in Egypt and after a lengthy battle between the United States and the Egyptian government, it was decided that Krieger would be charged in an Egyptian court. I bet that didn't sit well with Uncle Sam."

"But why did he get charged by the Egyptian government? He was a US citizen who had smuggled bomb parts out of the country." Frank asked.

"Yes, but the Egyptian government argued that the bomb was built in their country and was a terrorist attack aimed at one of their cities." Nancy flipped the page and continued reading, "after the trial and conviction, Krieger was sent to prison in Egypt to serve out his time. Apparently, Krieger was better connected than any of us ever imagined because soon after that he went missing in the system."

"How?" Joe asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Our government isn't sure, and if the Egyptian government knows anything they're keeping pretty quiet about it. They actually didn't admit to having 'misplaced' Krieger until a year after it happened." Nancy took a sip of her water and sighed. "While it's great to know all of this background information, it doesn't do anything to help us get any closer to catching Giamatti and Krieger."

"True, but at least now we know who we're dealing with," Frank shrugged. "Does the bureau know anything else about Krieger?"

"Compared to some of the other criminals we deal with at the bureau, Krieger was considered pretty small potatoes. To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about Krieger in a long time, it looks like we may have underestimated the man." Nancy stood up to get herself some more water in the kitchen.

"Okay, so what do we _do_?" Joe asked.

"Maybe we should tell Frank about the warehouse, Joe." Nancy said walking back into the room.

"What? What warehouse?" Frank sat up quickly and jarred his ribs, he winced in pain. "You guys are keeping things from me?" he asked incredulously.

"Not really," Joe hesitated, trying to think of how he could explain this to his brother. "It didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time…but, well…I hated not telling you, even if it did seem unimportant."

"Spit it out, Joe." Frank ground out the words.

"Well, five years ago, while you were in the hospital we were approached by the FBI." Nancy said, stepping in to help out Joe, who was looking very conflicted. "They asked us about the warehouse we had been sent to and we said we didn't know anything about it except that it was one of the places we had been told to go to. The FBI then informed us that it was part of a separate investigation and that we needed to back off. Since we figured the case was closed, we didn't really fight them on it and we all decided it was best not to even bring it up with you when you woke up. There was a lot going on already, we didn't need to add any pointless information on top of it. It was about a year ago when I first started working at the FBI I learned that the warehouse was owned by Krieger. I didn't think anything of it back then, but now…well, now I guess that five years ago was about the time the US government learned about Krieger going missing."

Frank sat in silence, he wanted so badly to be irritated with Joe and Nancy for not telling him but he found that he couldn't be. After all, it _had _been five years ago and they _had_ thought it wasn't a big deal and he hadn't really been talking to Nancy when she discovered the warehouse belonged to Krieger. He sighed grumpily and absent mindedly rubbed at his sore ribs.

Joe was looking at Frank anxiously, "I'm sorry Frank, I should have told you about Krieger as soon as I found out about it."

"No, it's okay Joe. Until now it didn't really matter anyway."

"Phew, I sure am glad you're the cool headed one, because if it were me, I'd be angry first and remorseful about jumping the gun later." Joe stood to throw his can in the recycle bin.

"I think we should go check out that warehouse," Frank said.

"I agree," Joe called from the kitchen.

"Well…" Nancy's voice trailed off. "I don't like going against the FBI."

"Frank and I aren't FBI, Nancy. We're private citizens and we can walk around a warehouse if we choose." Joe said coming back out from the kitchen. "Besides, since when do you care about stuff like that?"

Nancy groaned, "fine, I guess it's not really going against the FBI, it's just choosing not to involve them straightaway. Still, I'm going to call Michael to let him know what we're doing, at least that way someone will know what's up."

* * *

An hour later the trio arrived at the warehouse they had all visited five years before. It looked exactly the same as it had then, only this time it wasn't full dark yet, the sun was still making it slow descent from the sky.

"Okay, I think we should split up. We can cover more ground that way." Nancy said as she got out of the car.

"Sounds good," Joe agreed.

"You shouldn't be by yourself, Nancy." Frank said, walking around the car to join Joe and Nancy.

Nancy whirled on Frank so fast it had him taking a step back in surprise, "Frank Hardy! You listen to me; I am a fully qualified and trained agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I've been through Quantico _twice_. I've had more self defense training in the last year than you have had in your entire life. For the absolute last time, I can take care of myself."

Joe snickered at Frank's shocked expression, "She's got a pretty good point, bro."

Frank glared at his brother before turning his attention back to Nancy, "Nancy, I'm sorry. I can't help but feel protective towards you."

"Frank, I worry about your safety too, but the point is, it makes sense for us to separate. Besides, I have a gun." She swiped the hair out of her eyes.

"You do?" Frank asked in surprise, "Boy, times really do change."

"Please Frank; don't act like you're not carrying one too." Joe smirked.

"I wasn't going to, I just…" Frank started but Nancy cut him off.

"Okay, so we're all carrying guns. We're not 18 anymore; can we please get a move on?"

It was decided that Joe would go around to the left of the warehouse, Frank would walk to the right and Nancy would enter through the front. Nancy was surprised to find the door in front of her unlocked; she glanced over her shoulder at Frank who was about to go around the corner of the warehouse. She shrugged and smiled at him before ducking inside.

She remembered the hallway in front of her from when she had been there before. She walked cautiously forward, unsure of what she was looking for but hoping she would recognize it when she saw it. She checked the doors as she made her way down the hall, seeing one empty room after another. At the end of the hallway she had to choose to either go right or left. She decided to go right and came to a set of stairs that led down into what looked like a basement.

At the bottom of the stairs was another hallway, as she approached a turn she heard a muffled sound coming from around the corner. She paused and pulled out her weapon, she approached cautiously before aiming her gun and rounding the corner, "Freeze!" she cried.

The man she was pointing her gun at grinned before lowering his own gun. "Freeze?" Frank asked her, laughing openly. "You went through Quantico _twice_ to learn how to talk like an old western movie?"

Nancy lowered her gun and laughed, "Whatever Hardy." She glanced around, "Considering what a big place this is, I'm surprised we ran into each other."

"Yeah," Frank glanced around. "I don't know what we were thinking we were going to find here, but it looks like this place is pretty empty."

"Yeah," Nancy agreed. They stood together for a moment, inspecting their surroundings. Nancy was just about to suggest they keep going when Frank grabbed her arm.

"Nancy," he whispered. "Do you smell that?"

Nancy sniffed and what she smelled had her stomach dropping. "Smoke." She whispered back. She exchanged a panicked look with Frank before turning to see a wall of smoke and fire barreling down on them.

"Run!" Frank yelled and grabbed Nancy's hand, pulling her down the hallway. He headed for the door in front of him marked "Fire Escape", the smoke overtaking them and causing him to cough uncontrollably.

He pushed open the fire escape door just as the fire reached their backs, "Go!" he yelled at Nancy and pushed her through. He closed the door behind them as the wall of fire reached the door; it was already making the door warm to the touch. They heard an explosion from somewhere else in the warehouse that had the floor beneath them trembling.

The fire escape door had led them into a cramped room with a ladder reaching up to street level. Nancy was currently pushing with all her strength on the doors, trying to get them to open, "Frank! Frank I can't get them to open!"

She climbed down the ladder to let Frank try opening the doors, he grunted as he pushed his battered body against the door. He pounded his fists on the door, yelling for help. He was making so much noise he couldn't hear Nancy calling his name until she practically screamed it. "Frank!" The terror in her voice unnerved him.

He looked down on her and saw that she was breathing heavily and shaking; he quickly jumped off the ladder and gripped her shoulders. "Nancy, Nancy listen to me. We're going to get out of here!" he broke off as a fit of coughs overtook him, his eyes watered as the smoke began to leak into the tiny room.

"Frank, the door…it's so hot!" The space was so small that they barely had room to move, Frank pulled Nancy hard against him, barely registering the pain in his ribs when her body bumped against his. His arms were now crushed against the door; he could feel the intense heat through the metal door, burning his skin. He was glad that Nancy was no longer pushed against the door; the pain was quickly becoming unbearable.

Nancy was coughing and trembling in his arms, "Nancy? Nancy, I need to try and open the door." But when Nancy clung to him even harder he stopped. "Nancy?"

"I hate small spaces, Frank. I can't stand them. Ever since Krieger locked us in those coffins in Egypt, I haven't been able to stand small enclosed spaces." She seemed to be talking to herself. Frank remembered the time he and Nancy had been closed inside the ancient tomb and could easily understand how someone could develop claustrophobia from the experience. "I am an FBI agent; I shouldn't have fears like this." She seemed to be trying to convince herself of that.

"Nancy, listen to me. We are going to get out of this. He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes, "do you hear me? I got you out of that coffin in Egypt and I am going to get us out of here." Nancy didn't say anything but he could feel her trembling subside, she nodded her head. Even though he didn't want to let go of her he knew he needed to get the safety doors open before they died of smoke inhalation.

After a few more minutes of pounding, pushing and yelling the doors still hadn't budged. When he glanced down to see Nancy staring anxiously back up at him he dropped back down to the floor beside her. He wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug that she returned with just as much force. "I'm sorry Nancy, I'm so sorry."

They held onto each other tightly as the smoke began to fill the room with increasing speed. The metal of the door behind Nancy seared to the touch. Frank couldn't believe that he was going to die in a warehouse, unable to protect the woman he loved.

* * *

**Review?**


	15. Chapter 15

A/N1: I meant to post this last night, but I was having problems with the site! To make up for it, I'll try and get another chapter out today. Enjoy!

A/N2: So, I spent my day of pointless meetings pretending to take "notes" on my laptop. In reality, I was writing this chapter…whoops! :) At one point, I was so frustrated trying to figure out what to write next I sighed….LOUD. I had a tough time trying to explain that one. "What do you mean, you don't like sitting in this four hour meeting talking about the same things over and over?" lol.

Anyway, I'm so exhausted right now…all I can say is THANK YOU! Thank you times a billion for all of your reviews. I know I say this all the time, but they REALLY make my day. I read some of them in my meetings this morning and I had to _really_ try not to smile. Not only would I come across as rude for being bored and sighing loudly but I would also look _crazy._

Okay, enough of that…on with the story! I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 15**

Frank clutched Nancy to his chest, the smoke surrounding them both. His eyes watered as they searched for another way out of the small space. He was filled with a sudden rage at the unfairness of it all; he did not want to die like this.

He pulled Nancy away from him slightly, barely registering the pain as his arms hit the door behind them. "Nancy, I'm going to keep trying the doors." He tried to continue but was overcome by the need to cough, when he could speak again his voice was gravelly and raw, every sound caused his throat to burn. "Crouch down; the smoke won't be as bad at the bottom."

When Nancy started to speak only harsh coughing came out, "Don't try and talk, it will hurt too much." The fire in Frank's throat was a testament to that. "When I climb the ladder, there should be enough room for you to crouch down, try not to touch the door. It's hot." Nancy nodded and Frank turned to go up the ladder.

The higher he climbed, the thicker the smoke became and soon he could barely keep his eyes open, they were watering so much. He banged his fists on the doors and shoved up with all his strength. His already protesting throat took an even bigger beating as he screamed for help. He glanced down to look at Nancy and saw with horror that her head was drooping and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

With renewed vigor he slammed his body against the doors, jarring his protesting ribs. "Nancy!" he called down to her, but the only sound that came out was a soft croak. "Nancy!" he tried again and this time she looked up at him, her eyes unfocused. "Stay awake, Nancy!" She nodded her head but her eyes closed and her head flopped over.

Frank gave another mighty push on the doors before giving up and dropping to the floor beside Nancy. He put his hand on her cheek and tapped lightly, "Nancy! Wake up!"

* * *

Joe crept along the dark, dank, hallway on his side of the warehouse. It had taken him some time to find an entrance into the building and when he had finally found a door it had been locked. After breaking the lock he had come across this hallway.

So far, his search had yielded no results. He was starting to get frustrated. He was about to climb some stairs to the second floor when an explosion rocked the floor of the warehouse, _well, this has suddenly gotten more interesting_, he thought to himself.

When he smelled the smoke he turned and ran down the hallway in which he had just come. _Better get out of here, _he thought to himself and went back into the alleyway. He walked back to the front of the warehouse to see if he could find Nancy and Frank.

"I'm sure they got out," he said out loud when he didn't see Nancy and Frank standing there waiting for him. He started to panic, _what if they're still inside!_ "Frank! Nancy!" he called out and started to run towards the door in which Nancy had gone in. He pulled it open and was greeted by a thick cloud of smoke, looking down the hallway he could see it engulfed in flames.

He turned and ran to the side of the building that Frank had entered. What he saw had the panic rising up in him so fast he felt sick, the entire side of the warehouse was in flames.

He ran back to the front of the building, feeling helpless. He could hear sirens in the distance, but knew that there was no way they would get there in time to help Nancy and Frank. Tears began welling up in his eyes, _No, not Frank. Frank!_ He had to do something. Breathing heavily he tried to find another place where he could get inside the building.

He ran over to a promising looking window and over the roar of the fire thought he heard someone shouting. "Frank?" he yelled and paused, listening hard. He could hear a thumping noise, "Frank?" he was getting frantic, trying to find the source of the noise. He was looking down the front of the warehouse when his eyes fell on the two storm doors leading up from the basement of the building. There was a large padlock securing the doors and every few seconds the doors would be pushed up, as if someone was trying to get out.

An explosion from above had Joe throwing his arm up to cover his head as he ran toward the doors. He knelt down and yelled, "Frank!"

A disembodied voice answered, "Joe? Joe! Get us out of here!"

Joe scrambled back, looked for something, anything that would help remove the padlock. Finding nothing he stood in panic for a moment, wondering what he should do. It was then he felt his gun in its holster. He grabbed it out and rushed forward. "Frank! Stay away from the doors; I have to shoot off the lock."

"Hurry!" Frank cried back as another explosion rocked the warehouse. Joe threw his arms over his head as debris rained down around him. He stepped back and shot the lock, then rushed forward to yank off the twisted metal. He pulled open the doors and a thick cloud of smoke wafted out. When it had cleared he saw Frank huddled over an unconscious Nancy, they were both covered in soot.

"Frank!" Joe called down, "hand her up to me!" When Frank lifted Nancy in his arms and started awkwardly climbing the ladder, Joe reached down and hooked his arms through Nancy's and pulled her up. He fell backward as she cleared the doors and landed in a heap beside him. Frank crawled up out of the small room coughing violently. Another explosion rocked the warehouse and Frank threw himself over Nancy to protect her from the fiery debris that rained down around them.

"Let's go!" Frank called to Joe and picked Nancy up. They ran away from the warehouse as the area where they had been started to cave under the pressure of the fire. Frank and Joe watched in horror, their chests heaving. Just one more minute and they would have all been dead.

The first fire truck and ambulance pulled up and Frank rushed over to the EMT who jumped out of the back of the truck. "Here," he coughed and thrust Nancy at him.

"Put her on the stretcher," he told him and Frank did so.

"She's inhaled an awful lot of smoke," Frank wiped the back of his hand over his dry mouth. "She's been unconscious maybe, five minutes." He couldn't tear his eyes away from Nancy's still form as the EMT put an oxygen mask on her.

Another EMT looked at Frank up and down, "what about you, let me take a look at you."

Frank shrugged him off, "No, no…help her."

"My friend Eric here has got her under control, but I'm a little worried about you, son." The older gentleman reached for Frank but again he shrugged him off.

"I'm fine, let me ride with her."

Seeing that he was going to lose this battle and thinking it was a good way to keep an eye on the man who looked like he was going to fall over, the EMT nodded.

"I'll follow you in the car," Joe rested his hand on Frank's shoulder. He wanted to tell him that Nancy was going to be okay, but he knew he wouldn't be heard.

Frank nodded and climbed into the back of the ambulance. The ride to the hospital seemed to last forever. When they arrived at the Emergency Room Frank rushed along side the EMT's as they brought Nancy to the admitting nurse. "You'll have to wait here," the nurse said when Frank tried to follow Nancy into the treatment area.

"You don't understand, I need to be with her." Frank tried to push on by, but the short nurse was surprisingly strong.

She gave him a once over, taking in his sooty appearance and frowned as Frank dissolved into a fit of painful coughs, "Honey, it looks like you could use a little help yourself."

Frank started to deny the help when he paused; he looked down at the nurse. "Will it get me back there?" he asked, pointing at the doors he had just watched Nancy disappear through. The nurse nodded and smiled at him knowingly. "Then yes, I'd like to be looked at." Frank let himself be guided to a stretcher, his vision was starting to gray and he shook his head. He needed to stay awake, he need to stay awake for Nancy.

He was being wheeled into the back when Joe came running in the front doors, "Frank!" he cried as he ran to stand beside his brother.

"I'm okay, Joe." Frank tried to reassure a very worried Joe. "They're just going to check me out. It was the only way I could think of to get in to see Nancy." Joe let out a small laugh at his brother's annoyed expression.

"Alright, take care bro." Joe watched as his brother was wheeled into the back. He paced back and forth in front of the admitting nurse's desk before the woman couldn't watch any longer. She came out from behind the desk and laid a hand on Joe's shoulder.

"Is that young man your brother?" she asked him.

"Yes," Joe replied.

The nurse could see the concern in the boy's eyes; it was obvious how much he cared for his brother. "My name is Yolanda, dear. Why don't you take a seat," she led Joe over to one of the hard plastic ER chairs and sat down beside him. "Now you listen to me, your brother is going to be fine, you hear me? Only reason why that boy went back there is so he could be close to his lady. Don't you worry; they're both going to be just fine."

Joe turned to give the kind woman a smile, "thank you" he muttered. "It's just…" Joe trailed off, he was unsure of what to say, "It's just, he's my brother." He said simply.

"Honey, I understand. You sit tight now, is there someone you'd like me to call?" When Joe stared at her blankly she continued, "A relative or something?"

"Oh, no…I'll call them." Joe reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out his cell phone. He stared at it blankly as Yolanda got up to let him make the calls in private. _Who should I call first?_ Joe wasn't sure what was going on, how bad Frank and Nancy where, or what to tell the parents who were definitely going to be worried.

He dialed the first number that came to his mind and the only one that made sense to call. It rang twice before it was answered. "Vanessa Bender, how may I help?"

Joe smiled at his girlfriends 'professional' voice. "Hey babe, it's Joe."

"Joe? Is everything all right?" There was concern lacing Vanessa's words.

"No…not really," Joe muttered and explained the whole story.

"Where are you? I'm coming to wait with you." Joe wanted to tell her not to bother coming and that Frank and Nancy were probably just fine, but he found that he couldn't stand the thought of waiting for news without her. He told her what hospital they were at and her next words brought a smile to his face, "I love you, Joe."

"I love you too, Van." He replied. After they hung up he sighed. _I need to ask that girl to marry me, ASAP._ He dialed his parent's home phone number and waited for someone to pick up. After telling his mother and father where he was he hung up and dialed the number for the Drew home. He got the answering machine and so left a message asking for them to give him a call when they had the chance. He tried Carson Drew's office and was told he was in court all day. After leaving a message with his secretary, Joe hung up and leaned back in his chair.

"Here sweetie, have something to drink." Yolanda had made her way back over to Joe when she saw him make his last phone call. "You're probably thirsty after all that smoke."

Joe took the cup of water from the nurse gratefully and downed the entire contents, "thanks" he offered her a warm smile.

"I thought you'd like to know that the doctors are finishing up their examinations. Your brother and his lady will be moved to recovery rooms shortly. They weren't so bad off that they need to stay down here in the ER." She patted Joe's knee and stood up to walk back to her desk.

Joe let out a shaky breath, his brother and Nancy weren't going to be held in the ER. That was bound to be a good sign. As usual though, Joe wasn't going to completely let go of his worry until he saw his brother with his own eyes.

* * *

Frank sat beside Nancy's hospital bed, watching her sleep. It had taken him a lot of time and a lot of arguing to get to come and sit with her, but he had finally managed it. The only condition was that he let a nurse wheel him from his room to Nancy's and that he get back to bed as soon as the doctor saw that he needed to.

_No problem_, Frank thought to himself, _I didn't really need to be admitted anyway._ He watched as the heart monitor tracked Nancy's heart beat. At first, when he had seen her hooked up to the machines he had panicked. The nurse explained however, that it was just a precautionary measure until Nancy woke up.

He fiddled with the hospital tag she wore around her wrist and shifted uncomfortably. The doctor had decided that the burns on Franks arms were too severe to go untreated and had insisted on wrapping them. The bandages were itching like crazy.

His throat was raw from swallowing so much smoke and his eyes were itchy. He felt his head start to droop as exhaustion started to overtake him. He snapped his head up quickly, "No falling asleep, Hardy." He murmured to himself.

A few minutes later and Frank had fallen asleep, his hand clutching Nancy's and his head resting on her bed next to her legs.

* * *

Nancy was wondering why everything was so gray and hazy and yet there wasn't any of the searing heat. Her mind was foggy and her vision was blurry every time she tried to open her eyes. When she was finally able to crack them open a little, the fluorescent lights above her seared her vision. She quickly closed her eyes again, _too much too soon_ she thought to herself.

She tried again and this time the light didn't hurt as bad. She mentally took stock of her condition and surroundings. Her lips were dry and cracked, her body was stiff and her throat burned. She was in a hospital room. When she lifted her head slightly she saw a brown haired head resting on the blankets by her knees. "Frank," she whispered. She was surprised at how much the one word hurt her burning throat.

Frank's head snapped up and his gaze was unfocused, "what?" he sounded confused and just as raw as she felt. He shook his head and tried again, "Nancy, are you okay?" his gaze rested on hers, the concern clear on his face.

"I'm…smoky," she decided. "Everything feels smoky, but my throat feels like fire."

Frank chuckled and his laughter quickly turned in to an intense bout of coughing, "I know, mine too. Try not to talk very much."

"You're talking," she pointed out.

Frank smiled, "I'll go get the nurse."

As he started to stand Nancy gasped, "You're in a wheelchair!"

"It was one of the conditions on which I got to come and see you. Now, stop talking and I'll go find the nurse." When Frank left the room Nancy let her head fall back against her pillow. She felt so _tired._

When Frank returned with the nurse he stood at the end of the bed, his arms crossed. Nancy took in the bandaged arms and decided to ask him about them later.

"Well, it looks like you're doing alright, considering," the nurse said as she wrapped her stethoscope back around her neck. "They'll want to keep you here for awhile to get some rest, fluids and to keep an eye on you." She made some notes on Nancy's chart and walked back to the door, "I'll let that adorable blonde know that he can come see you now," with a laugh she left the room.

"Adorable blonde?" Nancy croaked.

"Do we know any adorable blondes?" Frank laughed/coughed and sat back down.

Joe rushed into the room a few minutes later, and yanked his brother into a hard hug that had Frank wincing. "That nurse didn't tell me you were in Nancy's room, just that I could go back and see you now. When I got to your room and found you gone I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Careful Joe, you're getting dramatic again." Frank smiled.

"Glad to see you've recovered your incredible wit, big brother." Even though the boys were exchanging witty banter, Nancy could see that they were genuinely happy to be together again. Knowing Joe, he had been worried about Frank for the last hour, no matter what the nurse's had told him about Frank's condition.

At the arrival of Vanessa, Laura and Fenton the nurse insisted that Frank go back to his own room and rest. That left Nancy to call her father and reassure him that she was okay. He picked up on the first ring, "Nancy?"

"Hi Dad," she tried her best to make her voice sound normal and not rubbed raw from all of the smoke.

"I'm just getting some things together, I'll be there soon."

"Dad, you don't have to fly all the way out here for a little smoke inhalation. Besides, your secretary told Joe you were in court all afternoon. You know you can't leave town when you're in the middle of a trial."

"I can when my daughter is in the hospital," was her father's defiant reply.

Nancy started coughing and tried to cover it up as laughter, "Dad, you really don't have to worry. The Hardy's are here and Laura has already said that I can stay with them until I become my usual self after they release me." She didn't mention that she wasn't planning on taking Laura up on her offer. She wasn't going to let a little smoke stop her from catching that scum Krieger and Giamatti.

It took a few more minutes of careful arguing and soothing words to finally get Carson to agree not to come. After she reassured him that she would call often and let him know how she was she hung up the phone.

No sooner had she hung up the phone then it started ringing again. She groaned and leaned over to pick it up, "Hello?"

"Nancy, you sound awful," came her partner's voice.

"You try swallowing bucketfuls of smoke and see how great you sound," she replied grumpily.

"Are you doing okay? Elizabeth and I are going to stop by later, do you need anything? Ice cream, something like that?"

"No, no, I'm okay. You guys really don't have to come by, I'll be out of here soon anyway," _I hope, _she added silently to herself.

"Now, what kind of partner would I be if I didn't come see you in the hospital?"

"I don't know: a nice one?" Nancy could imagine how awful she must have looked right now. Michael was bound to tease her about it.

Michael laughed and then grew silent, "well Nancy, aside from the courtesy call I wanted to tell you what the fire department found at the warehouse."

"Oh yeah, what?"

"It was apparently very obvious. The fire at the warehouse was arson Nancy. Someone set that place on fire deliberately."

* * *

**There was a nurse at the hospital named Yolanda when we had to take my grandmother to the Emergency Room. She was the **_**coolest**_** lady. My mother leans towards the hysterical side and Yolanda was the only one who could get her to calm down. Thanks Yolanda, wherever you are! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: So, I didn't update yesterday and here's why: the boyfriend bought a new game for his Wii, Mario Kart and I spent _most_ of the night (okay, the whole night, except for the hour when I watched _Deadliest Catch_) beating the pants off one of my co-workers, _who was miles away!_ (Hooray for Wi-Fi, eh?). The game is _addictive._ The boyfriend was a little upset with me for monopolizing his new game's time…but I said, "Honey, it's your fault for not buying two Wii Wheels!"

Anyway, I have torn myself away from the seductive powers of the Wii (aka, I'm at work) and have been busily writing the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

ReneyC-thank you so much for reviewing, it really means a lot to me. I know, I think Nancy should stay with Frank too…but our stubborn girl, she doesn't do anything without a bit of a fight. :)

RedHardy-I love your detailed reviews, they're great! I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that you liked the Joe/Vanessa stuff. You're the expert! I'm glad you liked it…hopefully you will really enjoy a scene I have coming up soon. Thank you for enjoying my story: because you're such an amazing writer, knowing you're enjoying it makes me positively GLEEFUL. :)

Leila91-I'm sorry to have gotten you worried, but I'm sort of glad too! That means I did what I set out to do…I wanted Nancy and Frank's future _very _shaky. Thank you for your review!

Ukfan101, Shani8, bookworm2009-Thank you so much for your reviews, I really appreciate them and I love getting them.

Thank you _everyone_ for continuing to read!

Now, what do you say we just get on with it already?

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 16**

"Thank you, Mrs. Hardy." Nancy said for what felt like the thousandth time. "I really would have been okay in my own apartment, but thank you just the same."

Laura carefully maneuvered the stubborn girl onto the living room couch. "Don't you fret, Nancy. There was absolutely no way I was going to let you recover on your own in that city." She fussed with the pillows around Nancy and then straightened. "Now, you sit there until I return with some water for you. Your throat must be sore from all the talking I'm sure you and the boys did on the way home."

Nancy smiled gratefully as the woman hurried out of the room to get the drink. She had just been dropped off by Joe and Frank, Joe having driven the pair home in her car (she had insisted, saying that when she was better she could drive herself home) after they had been released from the hospital with strict instructions to rest and drink lots of fluids. After dropping Frank off, Joe would return with Nancy's car.

Frank had walked with her to his parent's front door and hadn't left until he was sure Nancy was well and truly taken care of. He had a lot of faith that his mother would make sure Nancy got the rest she needed.

"Thank you," Nancy said when Laura returned with the cup and she took a deep gulp. The water really helped soothe her raw throat.

"Mrs. Hardy…" Nancy began but Laura held up a hand to stop her.

"That smoke must have addled your brains worse than I thought. Didn't I tell you to call me Laura a long time ago?"

Nancy laughed, "Yes, you did." She paused and tried again, "Laura," both women laughed, "I was wondering, do you think Frank is going to be okay by himself?"

Laura let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm sure he'll be fine, the human being in me says that he'll be fine, it was only smoke inhalation, not a bullet to the arm like the last time. But the mother in me, well, the mother in me is ringing her hands with worry and desperately wanting to clean something to take my mind off the mental image of him sitting alone at home, with no one to take care of him." She smiled at Nancy and patted her leg before continuing, "Frank can be every bit as stubborn as his father sometimes."

Nancy smiled back and took another drink of water. The drive home from the hospital had consisted of her arguing with Frank about staying at his parent's and the three of them discussing what they should do next and just what the fire at the warehouse meant. They hadn't come up with much. Nancy hoped that the team the FBI had sent to the warehouse would be able to uncover any evidence that perhaps the fire had been meant to destroy. Either that, or Krieger and Giamatti had known they were there and thought it would be a fun way to make the Hardy's and Nancy suffer.

"Nancy," Laura's voice broke into her thoughts and she turned to face the smiling woman, "It's been a long day and I'm sure you're very tired. Why don't you go on up and get yourself ready for bed?"

Nancy was about to protest when she realized she _was_ pretty tired, "You know, I think I will. Thanks." She grabbed her bag and began walking upstairs. She paused when she saw Joe pull into the driveway with her car, followed by Vanessa in Joe's car. She waited until Joe came into the house, "Thank you, Joe." She smiled, "How's Frank?" she asked.

"Oh, being his stubborn self. But I did manage to get him to go straight to bed with a very tall glass of water. I can tell he doesn't like it when I make fun of his new Clint Eastwood rasp." Nancy laughed and Joe set her keys on the table near the door and gave her a salute. "Well, you get some rest yourself Ms. Drew. I'd better be off; my lady is waiting for me." He gave her a wink and calling out a goodbye to his parents dashed back out of the house. Nancy smiled; Joe and Vanessa really were perfect together. She wondered when he was going to finally pop "The Question". All she knew was that both Joe and Vanessa were very lucky to have each other.

She turned and climbed up the stairs, her thoughts turning to Frank. Was he okay? She hoped he was resting, just as his brother had said. She knew that Frank hadn't gotten as much sleep as she had in the hospital because he had refused to leave her side for most of the time they had been there.

In the guest room she changed into the pajamas she had packed from her apartment and made her way down the hallway to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, realizing just how tired she was. When she saw herself in the mirror she realized how tired she _looked._ _'This smoke inhalation stuff is no joke!'_ she thought to herself.

As she was finishing up in the bathroom, her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her father she picked it up and spent a few minutes reassuring him that she had arrived at the Hardy's safely and was feeling much better. She had talked to her father and Hannah every few hours since arriving at the hospital and knew that she was slowly starting to reassure them that she was okay. She said her goodbyes and hung up.

She left the bathroom to make her way back down the hallway to her room. She paused at the door she knew used to be Frank's bedroom. She looked right and then left to see if Laura or Fenton was anywhere in sight and then slowly pushed the door open. She stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind her. The room hadn't changed too much since the last time she had been in there. In fact, she had been standing in this very spot when he had kissed her that last time.

Because the memory had her mind reeling and her cheeks growing warm she deliberately moved away from the spot. She sat on the bed and ran her hand over the cover, it was the same dark blue comforter he had slept with five years ago. She smiled to herself, thinking about him sleeping there. She glanced at the wall where the picture of he and Callie had hung, in its place was a picture of himself and Joe on his Graduation day. They both looked so proud and happy, '_they have such a great bond_,' Nancy thought to herself. Not for the first time she found herself feeling slightly envious of that great connection between the brothers.

Yawning hugely she set her cell phone on the nightstand and lay down on top of the comforter. She just wanted to rest her eyes for a moment, in this room that used to be Frank's on the comforter that still carried his scent. She felt wonderfully relaxed as she curled up into a ball on his bed. She was asleep in minutes.

* * *

A little while later, Laura walked upstairs to check on Nancy. She frowned when she looked into the guest room and saw no sign of Nancy or that she had even slept in the bed. She walked down the hallway and her eyes fell on her oldest son's door.

With a small smile she pushed the door open and peeked inside. She saw Nancy, curled up on top of Frank's bed, in a deep sleep.

She reached into Frank's closet and pulled out an extra blanket, she draped it over Nancy and leaned in to brush a kiss on her forehead. '_That son of mine better get a move on_,' she thought to herself, _'I'm already starting to think of her as a daughter.'_

She turned and left the room just as quietly as she had come.

* * *

Nancy was jarred awake by her ringing cell phone. Sitting up quickly she grabbed it and not even checking to see who it was, answered it. "Drew." She said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Nancy?" It was Frank, and that caused Nancy to sit up a little straighter and take in her surroundings with embarrassment. She noted the blanket that covered her and the late time on the bed side clock and concluded that Laura or Fenton must have seen her in here sleeping, '_they must think I'm the creepiest person ever!'_

"Nancy?" Frank repeated.

"Yes, Frank…I'm uh, here." She concluded lamely.

"I'm sorry, I know it's late. I must have woken you up."

"Well...you did, kind of. But I needed to be woken up," she pushed the blanket off of her and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You needed to be woken up?" he asked, confused.

"I'm um…not exactly in my own bed." She said.

"Did you fall asleep watching TV? I thought my dad was the only one who did that in that house anymore." he teased.

"Not exactly," she said, letting out a nervous laugh. She decided to just get it over with and tell him, "I kind of…fell asleep in your room." She winced as she thought of how he must look right now. Then, because her mind started to wander to a place that had her heart racing she stopped herself _'get a hold of yourself, Drew!'_

"Really?" he asked. Nancy was surprised, instead of sounding frightened, like he should have, he sounded…thoughtful.

"Yeah," Nancy worried her bottom lip, waiting for him to make fun of her.

Instead all he said was, "Hm."

After a few moments of silence Nancy cleared her throat, which turned into a large scale coughing attack. When she was able to talk again she asked, "So, Hardy…why _are_ you calling so late?"

It was Frank's turn to feel embarrassed. "I uh, I just…well, I couldn't really sleep." He answered and started coughing.

Nancy was silent, "why couldn't you sleep?" she finally asked.

"I was thinking about you," Frank deadpanned.

"Oh," was all Nancy could think to say.

"Yeah," Frank cleared his throat again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, how are you? How are those arms?"

"Itchy. I really think the bandages are unnecessary."

"Well, the doctor didn't seem to think so."

"No, I guess he didn't." Frank paused before continuing, "Nancy, I was so worried about you." He whispered. "I guess I called because I just needed to hear your voice. I needed to reassure myself that you're really okay."

"I'm fine, Frank." Nancy plucked at a loose thread on Frank's comforter. "I was pretty worried about you, too."

"It's just, those moments stuck in that room in the warehouse; I really thought we might die. That we might die before we ever really got the chance to get to know each other, again." Frank sighed, "Nancy, I don't want that to happen."

"I know, I was scared too, but it didn't happen. We have to be thankful for that."

"I know," Frank murmured. "Well, I guess I should let you get back to sleep."

"I guess," Nancy replied.

"Nancy, I really care about you." Frank said.

"Oh, Frank…" Nancy covered her mouth, in shock that she was almost close to tears, "Frank, I really care about you too. You're one of the most important people in my life."

"I'm glad to _be _back in your life, Nan." Frank grew quiet and they both knew that the other was thinking about the last five years.

"Frank, before you go…I just need to say, I'm so sorry about not telling you that Ned and I broke up. Really, I thought I was doing the right thing, protecting you from making that decision because you seemed to be so happy with Callie. George kind of made me realize how stupid that was of me and well…I just should have told you." She said everything in a rush and when she was finished she realized she was gripping the phone to her ear rather tightly. She deliberately relaxed her grip and waited anxiously for Frank to respond.

"You know, Nancy…for a long time I wanted to be mad at you for not telling me about Ned but I found that I just, couldn't be." Frank paused, "and I guess in a weird way, knowing that you didn't tell me because you knew how hard it was going to be for me to choose between you and Callie, just makes me like you that much more. Besides, that's all in the past now. I really like where we're heading right now, in the present."

"Me too," Nancy let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She let out a small chuckle, "do you realize that we haven't talked about the case the entire time we've been on the phone? What's happening to us? We put our love lives first in my apartment after Giamatti attacked us and again, after we almost die in a fire caused by Giamatti and Krieger we're more content to talk about our love lives than what we should do next!" She and Frank both laughed.

"Well, I guess that just means we must think this whole relationship business is pretty serious stuff."

"Either that or we're subconsciously saving all our talk for when we're with Joe, so he doesn't feel left out." Nancy let out another soft laugh.

"You're right, it's probably that," Frank laughed. "Well, goodnight Nancy" he said after a moment.

"Goodnight, Frank. I'm glad we survived."

"Me too, I'll see you in the morning."

After Nancy closed her phone she sat for a moment longer, studying the picture of Frank and Joe on the wall. He was such a kind and generous man, he could have easily been furious with her for not telling him about Ned. Instead, he had simply forgiven her and told her that it was all in the past.

She turned to look out the window and saw that it had started snowing again. The light from the streetlight illuminated the front yard and the snow that was slowly starting to accumulate on her car. She stared as if in a trance until a sudden urgency came upon her. She jumped up off the bed so quickly she felt dizzy. Ignoring it she sprinted as quietly as she could to the guest bedroom. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt and grabbed her coat, tugging on her boots as she snuck downstairs.

She cursed silently when she bumped her elbow on the banister, praying she hadn't woken anyone up. She rushed into the kitchen and began searching for anything, anything with an address on it…

"Nancy?" Fenton called sleepily from the other side of the kitchen.

Nancy jumped, "Oh! Fenton, I'm sorry…I'm not meaning to go through your things I just…" she trailed off, not sure what she should say.

"What are you looking for?" Fenton rubbed sleeping at his eyes.

"I need Frank's address. I want to…I just need Frank's address." She finished.

Fenton smiled knowingly at her and walked over to a pad of paper. Scribbling the address on it he handed it to her, "drive safe." He said simply.

She was so grateful she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Fenton was a little taken aback at the sudden show of affection but he smiled and patted her back. Nancy whirled around and ran into the front hallway, grabbing her keys off the table.

She jumped into her car and backed carefully out of the driveway. She glanced at the address in her hand and saw that Fenton had written out step by step instructions for her. She smiled and took a right at the end of the street. The streets were quiet at this late hour and had Nancy sighing at the beauty of the new snow. She drove along the tree lined street and saw a car headed in her direction. As the car passed she was so intent on making sure she made the right turn she almost missed whose car it was.

She glanced quickly in her rearview mirror and upon seeing the make and model of the car, slammed on her brakes. Her car slid a little in the inch or so of new snow that had accumulated on the street. The car that had passed her slammed on its brakes as well.

She jumped out of her car and slammed the door behind her, while the driver of the other vehicle did the same. They stood staring at each other for a moment, the snow falling down around them, landing in their hair and on their shoulders.

Nancy broke out into a wide grin as Frank started to walk quickly toward her. They met in the middle between their cars and he grabbed Nancy's face in his hands, tilting it up to bring his lips down on hers. They kissed for one dizzying minute before Frank pulled away a little to stare down into Nancy's eyes. He rubbed a snowflake off her cheek with his thumb and smiled, "you kind of ruined the dramatic entrance I had planned. Why can't you ever wait for the man to come to you?" before she could respond he captured her lips once more.

This time, it was Nancy who pulled away and smiled into Frank's warm eyes. "I'm a pretty independent woman, Hardy."

"This is true," he breathed. Nancy wrapped her hands in Frank's hair and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him gently. They stood like that, in the middle of the suburban street at a very late hour of the night for a long time. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, oblivious of the silently falling snow around them.

Everything was beginning to feel…right.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to update earlier, but things have been hectic around here lately. We have a lot of family visiting from out of town this weekend for the holiday and it's been one big outing/meal after another. Not very good conditions for writing, let me tell you...especially when your Uncle "Bear" accidentally spills his coke all over your keyboard. Not pretty.

I'm glad you all enjoyed the Nancy/Frank fluff. I had no idea what or when I was going to do anything like that...it just sort of happened, so I'm glad it turned out okay.

whitetigers: as usual, you're reviews make me all giggly and happy. I love your comments and your insights, they really make me smile.

Hermione Potter1234: welcome aboard! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

ReneyC: you talk about explosions...

KCS: you always make me smile!!

Leila91: thank you so much, I too like that Nancy and Frank went for a less traditional route...they seem to do that quite a bit, it just felt right!

Cherlyann Rivers: not bad at all! I hope you enjoyed what you read!

ukfan101: thank you!

Chefz and franknjoe: I'm glad you guys liked the Laura stuff, I think she's a great mom and I wanted to show her really caring for Nancy.

LilyoftheValley4: eh, a little romance novel never hurt anyone did it? :)

Shani8: thank you so much! I always enjoy your comments!

Once again, thank you so much to everyone for continuing to read...when I started this thing I never imagined I would get so far or have so much fun doing it! It's all thanks to you guys! Let me know what you think of the chapter! Enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 17**

Nancy glanced at Frank out of the corner of her eye the next morning as she, Frank and Joe sat around _Hardy and Sons Investigations_ discussing the case. She smiled quickly when she saw that Frank was looking at her too.

"So, the warehouse fire was arson. Which I suppose it doesn't really take a genius to figure that out. What are the odds that the three of us would decide to go have a look and then BOOM! Explosion!" Joe smashed his hand on the table for emphasis, which caused the distracted Nancy and Frank to jump. "I mean, it's us. Stuff like that always happens for a dark and significant reason when we're involved."

Joe tapped his hand on his crossed leg and stared at his brother and then at Nancy. They were both acting very distracted and..._was that a secretive smile?!_ Joe though incredulously. _Wait a minute, something's different._

"Okay you too, what's up?" Joe crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the ridiculous pair in front of him.

Nancy glanced over at Joe and feigned surprise, "What are you talking about? I totally agree with your assessment, I think that someone deliberately torched the warehouse."

"Yeah," Frank agreed, "I mean..." but he trailed off when Joe held up a hand for silence.

"No," he shook his head, "No, no, no." he wagged his finger at them. "This, why are you smiling. Nancy, you look like you're about to _giggle._ If I see you giggle my whole world is going to come crashing down around me. You can't giggle, please."

Nancy laughed, "What are you talking about Joe?" she glanced at Frank and gave him a secretive smile.

"That! What was that! You gave him a little smirk slash smile, what's going on between you two?" Joe was starting to look agitated.

Frank shook his head, laughing. "Little brother, it's none of your business."

Joe spluttered and let out a huff, "yeah right. None of my business. Who demanded information when I came home from my first date with Vanessa like some middle school aged female?"

Frank flushed and muttered, "I just wanted to know if you had a good time."

"Yeah, and even though you were _grilling_ me for information, I still happily told you. Now, I know something is different between you guys and I can't figure out what happened!" Joe ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Nancy and I...kissed." Frank supplied.

"Oh, that's nothing ne..." Joe stopped as he glanced back and forth between the pair, taking in their giddy expressions. "_Oh,"_ he said, with slightly more significance. "Well, it's about damn time."

Joe stood up and walked to the water cooler to refill his glass, "I mean, how long has it taken you guys to do the 'this is a significant, as in start of a relationship, kiss'? Eight years? Nine?"

"Something like that," Nancy smiled.

"Hm," Joe sat back down and took a drink of his water. He paused on his way to set the cup on his desk, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Wait a minute. Wait just a minute. How and when did this happen? I drove you both home last night. I tucked you into bed with a bedtime story Frank and I saw you walking up the stairs, dead on your feet, Nancy. Did you guys kiss in your dreams or something?"

"No, we kissed in the street." Nancy smiled at Joe's confused expression. "But if you don't mind I'd rather not go into details, otherwise I might be forced to embarrass us all and kiss Frank right here and now."

"I wouldn't mind." Frank smiled.

Nancy continued as if she hadn't hear Frank speak, "Instead, let's get back to discussing the case." She smiled sweetly at Frank and Joe let out a huff of breath.

"Well, I've been waiting for this to happen for a long time now and yet...it still feels a little weird." He scratched his chin. "Perfect, but weird."

"That's kinda how we're feeling." Frank assured his brother. Joe was about to answer when the office phone rang. Frank leaned over and picked up the extension on his desk. "Hardy and Sons Investigations, how can I help?" he listened for a moment before he said with a smile, "Hello Mrs. Bender. No, he must have his phone on silent." silence, "Yeah, he sometimes forgets to." another pause, "sure, let me transfer you." He put the call on hold and glanced over at his brother. "It's Vanessa's mom."

Joe frowned before picking up the phone, he wondered what Ms. Bender would be calling him for, "Hello? Hi, Ms. Bender," pause, "Sorry, Andrea." he grinned at Nancy and Frank and kicked back in his chair. "What can I help you with? Have a criminal you'd like me to chase down?" he listened to her response. Whatever it was the woman had replied with had Joe sitting up slowly in his chair. "Sure, uh...I'll see you in a few minutes." he said his goodbyes and hung up.

"That was odd, Vanessa's mom said she had something for me and wanted to drop it off. She's just around the corner, she'll be here any minute."

True to her word, Andrea Bender pulled into the parking lot two minutes later and walked up the front steps of the building. Joe stood up and held the door open for her. He gave her a big hug "Andrea, I don't think you've ever met Nancy." Joe motioned to Nancy who leaned forward to shake the woman's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said "you have a wonderful daughter."

"Thank you," she smiled pleasantly at Nancy. _So this is the girl that has stolen our Frank's heart, _she thought to herself and silently took stock of the girl, _she seems to be a fine choice, good work Frank. _

"Would you like to go somewhere private to talk?" Joe asked her.

"Sure, that would be just fine" Andrea followed Joe as he lead her out of the room and into the adjoining kitchen.

Joe motioned for Andrea to take a seat before heading for the refrigerator, "can I get you something to drink? We have water and soda, I'm afraid the options run pretty dry around here with three guys," he smiled at her.

"I'll take a water, thank you Joe." Joe grabbed a bottle from the fridge and grabbed himself a Coke. He handed her the water and sat down opposite her.

"Well Joe, I wanted to come by and see you because I have something I think you'd like to have." Andrea reached for her purse and dug around inside it for a few moments. Joe popped open his drink and had it halfway to his lips before he noticed what was in the woman's hands. "This," Andrea began and pulled open the jewelry box to reveal a shiny diamond ring flanked by two rubies "was Vanessa's grandmother's."

"Wow," Joe breathed and leaned forward to inspect the ring. "I mean, it's breathtaking."

"Here, take a closer look." Andrea took the ring out of the box and handed it to Joe, who took it reverently. "It was worn by Vanessa's grandmother, my mother until the day she died. She was married and in love with Vanessa's grandfather for seventy-four years. She married my father when she was eighteen years old and died two months after he did when she was ninety two years old. Vanessa loved to hear the story of how they fell in love and married and when she was little would ask her grandmother if she could wear the ring whenever we went for a visit. It was too big for her skinny little fingers back then, but I think you'll find that it will fit her just right, now." Andrea smiled at Joe's bewildered expression.

"I-I can't..." he stuttered.

Andrea smiled and reached across the table to rest her hand on Joe's, "sweetie, you can." she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"But, it's your mother's" was all he could think to say.

"And she always said that she wanted Vanessa to have it for when she got married. As long as the man was worthy."

Joe was speechless, a position he didn't often find himself in. "Well."

"There's a lot of magic in that ring. Love was the definition of my parents marriage, as was loyalty and a mutual respect for the other person and boy, did they know how to make the other laugh. They were a lot like you and Vanessa."

Joe stared at the woman in front of him and was moved beyond words, he jumped up from his seat and swung Vanessa's mother up and gave her a huge hug, "thank you so much, thank you." he murmured and swung her around. "This is perfect." he grinned foolishly as he pulled away to look again at the ring, "I mean, this is just perfect. How did you know I've been trying to find the right time and the right ring to ask Vanessa to marry me?"

"A mother has her ways," Andrew smiled mysteriously and patted Joe's cheek. "Better get a move on with that Joe, I do tend to get impatient." she smiled when Joe leaned down and gave her another hug.

After she had left the room Joe sat back down in his chair with a flop, completely blown away. He reached for the ring's box and carefully placed the ring back inside. He closed the lid and then paused, before opening it again to give the ring another look.

_I can't believe Andrea gave me this ring, that she truly thinks I'm the man for her daughter,_ Joe shook his head in disbelief, it was a lot of weight to carry on his shoulders, _but what a great feeling weight!_

He must have stayed staring at the ring for longer than he realized because soon Nancy and Frank were making their way cautiously into the kitchen. "Joe?" Nancy asked tentatively.

Joe snapped out of his tranced and looked over his shoulder at Nancy. He looked back at the box he held in his hand and couldn't believe what he saw.

"Joe, what is it?" Frank asked and walked around to stand in front of his shocked looking brother. Joe wordlessly handed Frank the box, which Frank opened. Upon seeing the ring he let out a low whistle, "whoa, what a ring." he commented. "Were you asking Andrea for permission to marry her daughter?"

Nancy shook her head, "no, because Andrea was the one who wanted to see Joe, not the other way around."

Frank looked at Nancy and feigned surprise, "great sleuthing skills, Drew!" Nancy gave Frank a playful smack on the shoulder. Frank turned back to his brother, "is this what she wanted to give you?"

"Now who's the incredible sleuth?" Nancy muttered so only Frank could hear. He grinned but kept his focus on his brother, who stood up and took the box back from Frank.

"Yeah," he replied and stared down at the ring. "It was Vanessa's grandmother's. She wore it for seventy-four years. From the day she married her husband until the day she died."

"Wow," Nancy breathed. "That's so amazing and romantic."

"I know." Joe sighed. "I'm sorry guys, but can we put the case on hold for a couple of hours?"

"What? Joe Hardy doesn't want to work on chasing down the bad guys?" Frank teased his brother.

Joe rolled his eyes, "Whatever, you two are going to do all the boring brainstorming while I'm gone anyway and I hate that part. Either that, or you're going to sit around here and neck." he winced when his brother punched him in the arm, "hey, it's what I'd do if I had the place to myself and Vanessa was here! Anyway, I'm going to go pick up Vanessa from work and take her out to lunch."

"Joe!" Nancy cried, "you can't just propose to her at lunch, when she's in her work clothes, thinking about work things!"

Joe looked at Nancy and shook his head with pity, "Nancy, Nancy, Nancy...and I thought you knew me so well. Of course I'm not going to propose to her over cold sandwiches and soup in a crowded café. This is strictly an information gathering mission."

"Good," Nancy reached up and gave Joe a kiss on the cheek, "Good luck and we'll try and think of what we should do next while you're gone."

"Yeah, I doubt that." Joe winked at his brother and then dashed out of the room before Frank could hit him again.

"You know, I wouldn't mind if we did a little information gathering ourselves, in between the good solid, work." Nancy smiled up at Frank who wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh really?" Frank smiled back, "and what kind of information are you wanting to gather?"

"The fun kind," Nancy raised her arms to put them around his neck and leaned up to kiss Frank.

* * *

"Joe?" Vanessa looked up from her computer to see Joe standing in her office doorway. She stood up and went over to him, leaning in to give him a kiss before pulling away. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by and take my girl to lunch, you hungry?" Joe hooked his thumbs into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels, trying to look innocent.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "what's going on with you Joseph Hardy? Why are your thumbs hooked in your pockets like that? I've never seen you do that before."

Joe schooled his features into what he thought was an offended look, "can't I come surprise my girl with lunch and not have to worry about needing an ulterior motive?"

Vanessa didn't look convinced and she still eyed him warily, "I guess so, but I'm watching you." she grabbed her jacket and they walked hand in hand out of her office building. They soon found themselves seated in a café across the street and Vanessa had forgotten all about her suspicions.

"How's work going?" Joe asked.

"Oh, you know. The normal. You know that woman I was telling you about last night? The one that snorts? She came by this morning, whining about how I hadn't gotten a report finished on time for her and how it was affecting her work. I knew for a _fact_ that I had finished the report last week and so I went with her to her desk, which looks like a war zone by the way and pulled my report out from under the crossword puzzle and last week's edition of _People._ Needless to say, she was able to get on with her work after that." Vanessa scooped up a bit of her soup and closed her eyes, groaning in appreciation. "My grandma used to make this soup and of course nothing can hold candle to hers, but this comes close. It reminds me of her."

Joe couldn't believe his good luck, here was the perfect opportunity to find out what he wanted to know! "Tell me about your grandmother, I never got the chance to meet her." he reached across the table to hold Vanessa's hand as she smiled, thinking about her grandma.

"Oh, you would have liked her and she would have loved you. She was so...spunky." she laughed. "One time, grandma was sitting at a stop light in her big ol' boat of a car back in the sixties when the light turned green. There was someone behind her who was apparently very impatient and when grandma didn't step on the gas right away the person honked at her. Twice. Big mistake. Well, grandma didn't like that and so she put her car into park and reached for the hatchet she kept under her seat in case of emergencies. She got out of the car, walked back to the car behind her and tapped that hatchet on the drivers window. 'Not moving fast enough for you?' was all she said to the scared driver before returning to her car, returning her weapon to its hiding place and putting the car back into gear. Of course, by that time the light had turned red again and the guy behind her had to wait through another light cycle. You couldn't do something like that nowadays, but back then it wasn't so bad and it was so like my grandmother."

Joe laughed, "she sounds incredible, and an awful lot like her granddaughter."

"Oh yes, grandma and I were a lot alike. She was spunky, but she was loving and would be there for you no matter what time of the day, for whatever reason. Her and my grandfather got along 'famously' as she would say. He liked to think he wore the pants, but with one look grandma could get grandpa to do anything."

"How did they meet?" Joe asked and rubbed his thumb over the back of Vanessa's hand.

She stared down at their joined hands and smiled before looking up at him and continuing, "in high school. He was three years older and the bad boy. She fell in love with him before he even knew she existed. He went off to see the world and become a man and she finished out her high school years, plotting all of the different ways she was going to force him to love her when he returned. When he finally did return, she didn't need to force him at all. He fell in love and courted her and one day took her out to this bluff, where they had gone on their first date and where he had taken her to tell her he loved her. He proposed right there, where they had first professed their love for one another. They stayed in love for the rest of their lives." she sighed happily. "Grandma liked to joke that she snared him good and proper before he even realized what happened to him, but I know that grandma was just as caught as he was."

"Wow, what an incredible story," Joe squeezed Vanessa's hand and took a drink of his pop. "I wish I had gotten to know them."

"Me too, they were great." Vanessa glanced at her watch. "Oh! I've been talking so much! I have to get back to the office. I'll have to take this back with me." She said, indicating her half eaten lunch. They stood up and walked back to her office. They stopped at the door and she leaned up to give Joe a kiss, "thank you for surprising me and taking me out to lunch."

"You're welcome," Joe replied and kissed her back.

"I guess I was wrong about you having an ulterior motive," she smiled.

"I guess so," Joe replied and kissed her again. He watched her go back inside and then shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. He had found out a lot of information over lunch and he had thought that it was going to be hard to nonchalantly ask her about her grandmother. Instead, it had only taken a cup of Broccoli Cheddar soup to get her to open up. Now the challenge was figuring out what to do with the information he had been given.

* * *

Laura Hardy hummed happily to herself as she left the grocery store. She paused right outside the doors as she dug around in her purse for Frank's keys. She was borrowing his car while hers was in the shop, it had stopped running for some reason the night before. Frank and Nancy had stopped by about an hour ago and when Laura decided to make dinner for the family, at first Frank had offered to do the shopping but she had insisted that she would rather do it herself, so he let her borrow his car.

She had been so excited to see Nancy and Frank and that they were obviously _together, _together that she had decided to invite everyone over for a nice sit down meal. She also knew that her husband was working on a difficult case, as were the boys and Nancy and they could all use a good meal to lift their spirits.

Laura finally managed to extricate the keys from the bottom of her purse and then frowned. She could never figure out which key was the right key, Frank had so many. She finally managed to locate the right one and gave out a cry of triumph.

She glanced out at the parking lot and noted that it had emptied significantly during the time she had been inside and spotted Frank's car about halfway down the third row. She began pushing her cart toward it, thinking absently about what she needed to do when she got home to start preparing dinner.

She was about halfway to the car when the explosion threw her backwards and had her landing with a hard thud on the pavement. The force of the blast knocked the breath out of her and she struggled to take in air. Someone rushed over to her, "are you alright?" the person cried and helped her to a sitting position.

Laura stared at the fiery remains of her sons car, horror etched across her face.

* * *

**The story of Vanessa's grandmother at the stop light really happened, except it was my grandfather...grandpa was always doing crazy things like that. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: For some reason I was having a really tough time with this chapter. I kept thinking, "this isn't any good…this isn't any good." It also didn't help that I had my six year old nephew explaining to me all of the many reasons why _Cars _is a better movie than _Monsters, Inc._ but _Ice Age_ beats them all (don't even get him started on _Ice Age 2_). Talk about distractions. I love my family but I cannot WAIT until they are done invading my home. I think I'll have to wash the sheets in the guest bedrooms three or four times to remove the Eu de Uncle "Bear" stench. Yum.

Okay, enough of my crazy banter. Onward, march!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 18**

"I can't believe I've never seen these, in all of the years I've known you and your family." Nancy grunted as she reached for the top shelf in the den, pulling down the first photo album of many.

"Well, things are different now, I guess…now you're my…" Frank stopped and looked confused.

Nancy came over and sat next to him on the couch, the large book resting on her lap, "Now I'm what?" she asked sweetly.

"Now you're my…" Frank closed his eyes.

Nancy laughed, "I think we bypassed the 'we're dating' stage and went straight into the 'we're in a relationship' stage. This would make me your girlfriend." She opened the book in front of her and let out a laugh. On the very first page was a picture of Joe and Frank when they were about 2 and 3 taking a bath. "Oh, that's priceless."

Frank let out a groan, "don't you want to wait until my mother gets back? That way we can really milk this situation for its full embarrassment potential."

"Oh, look at this one! You're running through the sprinkler naked! What did the neighbors think?" Nancy laughed when Frank reached over to cover her eyes.

"You shouldn't be seeing things like that," he grabbed the book off her lap, "here; I'll go through the book and pick out the pictures that aren't the most _embarrassing _pictures of all time."

"They're not embarrassing, they're cute." Nancy laughed as Frank groaned at the word, "everyone has naked bath time photos, it's like a rite of passage." She leaned over and gave Frank a smacking kiss on the cheek.

"Here, you can look at these. They're from little league when I played t-ball." Frank set the album back on Nancy's lap and proceeded to show her the pictures. A few minutes later they heard the front door open and soon Joe and Vanessa joined them in the den.

"Hey!" Vanessa said, "Oooh, you're looking at the photo albums, I love those!" she sat down next to Nancy and peered at the picture of Joe and Frank posing in their uniforms. "Did you already pass the naked pictures?"

"I saw two of them before Frank decided it was time to skip over them," Nancy told her.

Vanessa looked at her in shock, "and you let him just, skip over them? Oh, honey…we'll have to work on you. If you're going to be in a relationship with a Hardy I have a few helpful hints as to how to deal with them." She winked and Joe let out a snort from his position across the room.

"How to deal with us?" he glanced at Frank who was looking perplexed, "are you hearing this, big brother?"

"I am," Frank leaned forward to get a better look at Vanessa, "and just what are these 'ways to deal with us'?"

"Why would I tell _you _that?" Vanessa folded her arms across her chest and stared at Frank questioningly and had Nancy laughing. "Here Nancy, let me show you the really good pictures." She took the book from Nancy and soon the girls were bent over the pages laughing and whispering to each other.

Joe stood up and motioned to Frank, "come on brother, I can't stand this embarrassment."

"I'm with you. Let's go find dad and do something manly to get our masculinity back." Frank stood and followed Joe from the room, leaving the girls laughing behind them.

As they climbed the stairs Joe called out for Fenton, "Dad?" they reached the top of the stairs and went into the kitchen. They found Fenton rummaging in the fridge, "Dad? What are you doing?"

The sound of Joe's voice had Fenton whirling around so fast he lost his balance and ran into the door of the fridge. Frank and Joe laughed out loud when they saw a piece of cheese in their father's mouth and a roll in one of his hands. Fenton reached up slowly to remove the cheese and smiled sheepishly at his sons, "don't tell your mother. I'm just really hungry is all and needed something to tide me over until dinner was ready."

Joe was about to retort when the house phone started ringing. Fenton walked over, eyeing his sons and answered in a distracted sort of way. "Hello?" His manner immediately changed when whoever was on the other end of the phone answered his greeting. He dropped the bread and cheese he was holding on the counter and gripped the edge for support, the color draining out of his face. "Are you alright?" he managed to choke out, "okay, we'll be right there." He hung up the phone and turned to his sons, who were exchanging worried glances.

"What is it, dad?" Frank asked the concern evident in his voice.

"Your mother," Fenton began and watched as both of his boys stiffened in panic. He continued in a hurry to try and reassure them, "she's fine. She's okay. There was an explosion, at the grocery store."

"An explosion?" Frank asked, confused. "You mean, the grocery store exploded?"

"No," Fenton took a deep breath, knowing that his next words were going to severely haunt both of his sons. "It was a car that blew up…" Fenton noted the look of panic enter Joe's eyes and knew he was remembering Iola. Fenton had no choice but to finish his sentence and hurt his other son, "…it was your car, Frank."

Frank covered his face with his hands and turned away from his father and brother. "Oh my God," he whispered. "She was driving my car, I let her use my car." He felt someone lay their hand on his shoulder and turned to see his father standing in front of him and Joe.

"We have to get down to the store now; your mother is waiting for us."

Frank nodded and watched as his father dashed out of the room to grab his keys and head out the front door. When Frank started to follow he realized that Joe wasn't moving. He turned to look back at his brother and noticed for the first time that Joe seemed to be frozen in shock.

"Joe? What is it…?" Frank trailed off when he realized the connotations of a car exploding, almost killing someone they loved. "Oh, Joe…" he wasn't sure what to say.

Joe shook his head, "let's go." His voice cracked. _This is not like Iola. This is not like Iola. _He tried to convince himself of that but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. He stopped beside his brother, who was looking at him with concern, "I'm going to be fine, Frank. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried," Frank tried to shrug it off and look unconcerned.

"Yes, you are and that's okay. I love that about you. Just know that things are different this time. I'm different and I have Vanessa."

"Okay." He paused, staring at his brother, "Speaking of Vanessa, we better get the girls." He walked over to the stairs that led to the den and called down to them. A few minutes later Vanessa and Nancy emerged, talking animatedly about a new clothing shop that had just opened in New York.

"It's really great," Nancy was saying "they have all of these designer clothes from last season for half off!" she looked up at Frank, "hey! What's going on?" she noted his worried expression and walked quickly up the stairs. She took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly, "what happened?" she murmured as Vanessa walked over to stand with Joe.

"We don't know much but we have to get down to the grocery store right now, dad's already on his way." Frank squeezed Nancy's hand back.

"Is Laura okay?" Vanessa asked with concern, also grabbing Joe's hand.

"She's fine, or so we hear. My car….there was an explosion. My car exploded." Frank hung his head in misery. Nancy could all but hear him blaming himself.

"Oh, Frank," she murmured and pulled him into a hug. "Let's get going," she walked with Frank towards the front door. "Do you guys want to drive separately?" Nancy asked Vanessa. She had already thought of how much this might affect Joe, because of the way that Iola had died.

Vanessa nodded silently. When Nancy and Frank left, Joe and Vanessa stood in silence for a few moments. Vanessa wrapped her other hand around Joe's so that both of their hands were linked. She stayed silent, knowing that Joe needed to pull himself together.

"Vanessa, I'm sorry." Joe muttered.

Vanessa sighed and pulled Joe into her arms, "oh honey, there's nothing to be sorry about."

"I need to go be with my family," Joe mumbled into her shoulder but made no move to leave.

"You will, but for right now let's just take care of you for a moment." Vanessa ran her hand along his back soothingly. They stood like that for awhile until Joe pulled away slowly.

"Thank you," he brushed a piece of her hair away from her face and leaned down to kiss her softly, "you're the most incredible person." He shook his head in disbelief, Vanessa made him stronger.

"Let's go see your mother," Vanessa smiled encouragingly and Joe leaned down to kiss her again.

* * *

An hour later Frank watched as what was left of his car was loaded onto a flatbed trailer and hauled away. His father had left 15 minutes earlier to take his mother home and get her calmed down. She had been checked out by paramedics and other than a few scrapes and bruises, she was fine.

Frank turned away from watching the hunk of twisted metal driving off and saw Joe and Vanessa talking animatedly a few feet away. He heard snatches of their conversation and it sounded like Vanessa was arguing with Joe about whether or not she should go home and wait for him. _Good, Joe needs you here, _Frank thought to himself and scanned the crowd of emergency personnel and onlookers for Nancy. He spotted her standing near the front of the store talking to the store manager.

He walked quickly over and came in on the end of the conversation. Nancy turned to face Frank, "John here is the store manager and has agreed to let us review the security tape. I suggest we look at it now before the local police or the FBI gets a hold of it and we never see it again."

"Good thinking," Frank replied and ran a hand through his hair.

"Wait a minute; I thought you said _you_ were FBI? You showed me your badge!" John wrung his hands and looked nervous. "I don't want any trouble, here."

"I _am_ with the FBI," Nancy had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, "but even I have problems cutting through the red tape," she turned to face Frank again, "You don't have to watch the tape, I can do it."

Frank shook his head, "no, two sets of eyes are better than one. Besides, my mom is okay." He had to keep telling himself that and reminding him that the worst hadn't happened.

Nancy stared hard at Frank for a few minutes before nodding, "alright, then lead the way, John." The trio turned to head into the grocery store but when Joe called out they stopped and waited for him to come over.

"Where are you guys going?" he asked when he and Vanessa had caught up to them.

"We're about to go review the tape." Frank replied.

"Okay, then we're coming with you." Joe nodded towards Vanessa.

"Joe, you don't have to…" Frank trailed off when Joe shot him an angry glare.

"I'm fine, Frank. Let's go." He turned to follow the bewildered manager into the store. Nancy shrugged and followed; Frank paused and then hurried to catch up.

The manager led them to a back room filled with TV monitors, most showed rotating views of different parts of the interior of the store. A few however, showed the parking lot which was currently loaded down by police officers and firemen.

"Larry, can you cue the tape up to the time of the explosion?" John asked the security guard who was sitting in front of the monitors.

"No problem," Larry replied and pushed a few buttons. Soon they were looking at a side view of the parking lot which provided a wide shot of the rows of cars and showed the front doors of the store. The guard pressed play and a few minutes later Laura Hardy walked out of the store. She paused to look through her purse and then stopped again halfway to the car to locate the right key. The explosion that came almost immediately after that was so huge it was shocking. Frank watched in horror as he saw his mother fall backwards and his car continue to shoot huge flames high into the sky.

"If she hadn't stopped both of those times she would have…" Frank trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Joe sat staring at the monitors, clutching Vanessa's hand tightly; _it looked so much like the explosion that killed Iola._

Nancy leaned forward, "can you cue it up to the time when she first arrived at the grocery store? Try, four-thirty."

The guard nodded and cued the tape up to when Laura had arrived. They watched her park the car and get out and lock the doors behind her and walk into the store. Nancy noted that there were no cars parked around hers and hardly anyone coming and going. It was like that for about ten minutes until Nancy noticed a car pull into the parking lot and park one spot over from Frank's car.

Everyone watched intently as someone stepped out of the passenger side of the car and walked right over to Laura's car. Nancy saw that the man had something in his hand. Sticking it to the side of the car he turned and got back into the waiting vehicle, which drove off.

"Go back," Nancy ordered, staring intently at the screen. Frank stood behind her, his arms crossed as he waited. "Pause right there." Nancy leaned in closer to look at the screen. "Can you zoom in?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," Larry responded and hit a key on his keyboard. Soon, a fuzzy picture of the car's license plate came into view.

"A-L-A-T-4-6-2" Nancy read off and turned to Frank, "I can have Michael run a search." When Frank nodded she turned away from the group and called her partner.

"Michael, it's Nancy," she told him what she wanted and waited while he ran the license plate number through the computer.

"This probably won't come as much of a shock to you, but the car is registered to Giamatti in the state of New York."

"No, it doesn't. Thanks Michael."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'll tell you about it later,"

"Okay, but you'd better. How are you feeling?"

Nancy paused for a moment, unsure of what he was talking about. When she remembered she almost laughed, it seemed like so long ago that she had been in the hospital but in reality it had only been a matter of days. "I'm better. I still get a bit of a smokers cough every now and again, but I'm definitely on the mend. Frank's a little worse off because his arms give him some pain, but otherwise we're both fine."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." There was a pause, "about this Frank guy. What's going on between you two?"

"I don't have time to discuss this with your right now," Nancy replied, smiling, "I'll call you later."

"Fine, well…if you're feeling so much better maybe it's about time you got your butt back to work. The Giamatti case is not the only case in the world, you know. We do have other cases we're working on."

"Goodbye, Michael." Nancy shut her phone with a shake of her head.

She turned to face the group again and jerked her head to have them follow her out of the room and away from the curious eyes and ears of the store manager and the security guard. When they stepped outside Nancy turned to tell Frank, Joe and Vanessa what Michael had told her.

"I guess it's not much of a surprise, but the car is registered to Giamatti."

Frank nodded his head and Joe took in a sharp intake of breath, "we have got to catch those two." He growled.

Just then, John came running out of the store, "You're Nancy?" he pointed at Nancy who nodded, "there's a phone call for you."

Nancy glanced at the group in confusion and they all turned to go back into the store. She picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Why, hello Nancy my dear," Giamatti's voice was sickeningly sweet in her ear. "Are you having fun yet? How's that nasty smoke inhalation treating you? And Frank's arms? I hope they're giving him quite a bit of pain. It was such a bonus when we learned that you two had been stuck in the warehouse like that, priceless."

Nancy was silent before she said, "so, you didn't mean for us to die in that warehouse?"

"Nancy, Nancy, Nancy…I thought I made it abundantly clear that pleasant night we spent in your apartment together." The way he said the words had Nancy shuddering, "My partner and I plan on getting our revenge…in the most drawn out way possible. We're going to make the people you know suffer before we finally do you in. Did you like our little experiment with Frank's car?"

"You bastard," Nancy clutched the phone tightly and looked up at Frank who was standing close to her and listening to her side of the conversation intently.

"We thought it was a lovely trick, a double whammy you could say. Not only would poor Frank feel guilty about almost getting his mother killed, but it would bring up all sorts of lovely memories for young Joe." Giamatti let out a crazed laugh, "oh how I wish I could have seen his face! Anyway, I've got to run. Take care Nancy…we'll be talking soon."

Nancy hung up the phone and immediately dialed the tech department at the bureau. She rattled off her security clearance number and waited to be connected, "yes, this is Agent Drew. I need you to run a trace on the last incoming call for this number."

She listened for a few moments and then sighed in frustration, "thank you." She hung up the phone, "untraceable cell phone, he's going to keep working on it though."

"Was that Giamatti?" Joe asked and Nancy nodded, "What did he say?" Nancy repeated the conversation.

When she was finished Frank sighed. "Well, let's go back to the house, check on mom and figure out what to do now."

* * *

Later that night Joe and Vanessa made their way up the stairs and to their apartment. As soon as they got inside Joe locked the door and threw himself down on the couch, holding out his hand for Vanessa to join him. She curled up beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. Joe wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Thanks for being there tonight," he gave her a squeeze.

Vanessa lifted her head off Joe's shoulder and stared deeply into his eyes, "Joe, I will _always _be there for you."

Joe was overwhelmed by how much he loved the woman in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. "I love you so much," he murmured against her lips.

Vanessa kissed him again and replied, "I love you too." She stood up off the couch and put out her hand. He grabbed it and she pulled him up, "it's been a long day, let's go to bed."

Joe's blue eyes lit up mischievously, "is this your not so sneaky way of trying to take advantage of me again, Ms. Bender?"

"Don't pretend you don't like it." Vanessa laughed as Joe made a grab for her and she danced out of the way.

Awhile later Joe held Vanessa in his arms as they lay silently in bed together. "Vanessa?"

"Hm?" Vanessa replied, her eyes closed. She had her head on Joe's shoulder and her hand was on his chest.

"Let's go ice skating," Vanessa lifted her head up to look at Joe sleepily.

"Why?" she asked.

"We haven't been in awhile and I want to go with you. I heard the lake is frozen enough to skate on. We could go with Frank and Nancy." Joe adjusted his position on the pillow as Vanessa laid her head back down.

"That sounds like fun, but what about the case?" she asked.

"You don't have to work on a case twenty-four hours a day." Joe shrugged, "I think we could take a couple of hours off tomorrow night to go skating in the moonlight."

* * *

The next day was filled with one frustrating dead end after another. Frank was actually looking forward to going skating that night; he needed some time to clear his head. It was also going to be the first real "date" he and Nancy had ever been on.

There was a knock on the door and Frank finished pulling on his sweater before going to answer it. He pulled it open to reveal a smiling Nancy, "Hi! I'm here to…"her voice trailed off as she glanced inside Frank's apartment. "Oh, Frank…this is just sad." She pushed past him and into his living room.

"What?" Frank asked defensively. Nancy gave him a pitying look before turning to take in the décor of the room. The couch was new and plush and there was a beautiful TV stand with a rather large TV sitting on it. These things were all fine and normal, but it was the milk crates serving as side tables that had Nancy holding a hand up to her mouth to cover her laughter.

"Milk crates?" she asked and ran a finger over them. She turned to look into the dining room and laughed some more, "no dining room table? Is that a rowing machine?"

Frank groaned and grabbed his coat. Pulling it on he walked over and grabbed Nancy's hand, "we have to go."

"No, wait!" Nancy tried to peer into the kitchen, "do you use paper plates?" when she saw Frank's expression she laughed, "You do!"

"Can we go, please?" Frank continued pulling her out the door and into the hallway.

"Oh, but I wanted to see your bedroom!" she laughed as he shut the door and locked it.

"As much as I've been waiting to hear you say those exact words, I've always pictured the context of them much differently." Frank pocketed his keys and took Nancy's hand in his, walking toward the elevator to go downstairs.

Nancy didn't stop laughing until they reached the car, "Frank, please let me help you pick out side tables. You have to at least have side tables."

"Fine, you can help me pick out side tables." Frank grumbled. Nancy laughed and got into the car.

They arrived at the lake to find a few other people skating across the smooth surface and to see that Joe and Vanessa were already there. They were sitting on a bench, lacing up their skates. Vanessa glanced up as Frank and Nancy walked over to join them.

"Hey you guys! It's a beautiful night, huh?" She finished doing up her skates and stepped out onto the ice, Joe joined her a moment later.

"It really is," Nancy agreed and took in her surroundings. The lake was fairly large and bordered by trees on all sides. Snow blanketed the park behind them and the full moon cast a lot of light on the lake and those who skated on it.

"Well, see you out there," Joe called and he and Vanessa took off.

Frank and Nancy did up their skates and then took to the ice themselves, "I have to admit…I haven't done very much of this," Nancy confessed.

"Its okay, it's more fun for me this way." Frank laughed as Nancy slapped him on the shoulder and then, because of the movement started to wobble precariously. He stepped in to steady her right before she was about to fall to the ice.

"Nice save, Hardy." Nancy grumbled and straightened her coat with a dignified air.

As they skated Nancy started to get better and better and was soon holding on to Frank's hand for the fun of it and not just to stay upright. When Nancy saw Frank wince she stopped skating and looked at him with concern, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just these ribs. They're not wanting to heal all the way." He rubbed at his sore ribs.

"Maybe we'd better call it a night; you've been through a lot the last couple of days."

"No, no…I'm having a great time. Let's keep skating. Hey, where are Joe and Vanessa?" They stopped to look around for Joe and Vanessa, who they hadn't seen skating for awhile.

"There they are," Frank pointed toward the bench at the edge of the lake. "I wonder what they're doing?" he started to skate toward them but Nancy put a restraining hand on his arm.

"No, don't interrupt them."

"Why?" Frank asked, confused.

"Because, I think Joe is about to propose."

* * *

"Phew, you were right Joe. This is fun." Vanessa took a seat on the bench and looked out over the lake. Joe sat down next to her and started fidgeting. "What's wrong, Joe?"

"Nothing!" he answered her, a little too quickly.

"Okay." Vanessa sat back against the bench. "Do you realize that this is where we had our first date?" she laughed, "and it's the first time you ever told me you loved me." She reached over and laid her hand on his cheek, she kissed him firmly.

"Yes, yes…I've…thought about that." Joe turned to face Vanessa head on. "Vanessa, I want you to know that you are the most amazing part of my life."

"You're the most amazing part of mine," Vanessa replied and clutched Joe's hands. When Joe was silent for a moment Vanessa glanced out onto the ice, "do you want to go out and skate some more?"

Joe ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Um…no, not right now." Vanessa was staring at Frank and Nancy, who seemed to be having so much fun that she didn't even notice that Joe had knelt down in front of her on one knee. When she glanced down and saw him in front of her, she gasped.

"Vanessa," he began and Vanessa covered her mouth with her hand. "You told me the story about your grandparents the other day and I was blown away. I want that kind of love in my life and I know I've found it with you." He reached into his pocket and drew out the jewelry box. Vanessa gasped when she recognized the box and realized where the ring had come from. Tears started welling up in her eyes and she quickly knuckled them out of the way. She wanted a crystal clear memory of this.

"Your mother told me that there was a whole lot of magic in this ring and I believe her," he pulled the ring out of the box with trembling fingers. "Vanessa Bender, will you marry me?"

Vanessa stared down at the ring in front of her and let out a sob, "I can't believe I'm crying right now and I'm so happy!" She tore off her gloves, "I will absolutely marry you Joseph Hardy." She held out her left hand and Joe slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Vanessa stood up and so did Joe, she flung her arms around him and started kissing him.

"You are the most perfect, most caring man I have ever known. You proposed to me where we had our first date, just like my grandparents! I can't believe it; I never thought I would find someone who cared so much about me." She kissed him again and then threw her head back and laughed, "This is the most amazing night of my life.

"Mine too," Joe murmured. Vanessa grinned and pulled Joe out onto the ice.

"Come on, I want to skate in the moonlight with my fiancé." Joe let himself be led out onto the ice and soon they were making their way over to Frank and Nancy.

When Vanessa showed Nancy her finger Nancy smiled, "Oh! He did it! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations little brother," Frank pulled Joe into a big hug and then turned to give Vanessa a hug.

"What a beautiful ring," Nancy commented.

"It was my grandmother's." Vanessa said, staring down at it.

Joe noticed that Vanessa's gloves still hung out of her pocket, "you should put your gloves back on. Your fingers will freeze."

"I'll put the right glove on but there is no way I'm going to cover up this ring."

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I could use some coffee or hot chocolate or something." Nancy blew on her cold hands.

"Sounds perfect, let's go to the Coffee Bean, they have the best coffee." Vanessa wound her arm through Joe's and led the way back to the car, grinning hugely up at Joe. "Gosh, I really love you." She told him.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**The funniest part of this chapter to me is the part about how Frank has a rowing machine where his dining room table should be. I like to take things from real life and incorporate them into my stories (as you may have guessed by now). The truth is that for the first eighteen months of living in my new house I didn't have a dining room table. Instead, I had a rowing machine. Classic.**


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Stupid life for getting in the way of writing Fan Fiction...grrrrrr…

franknjoe, bookworm2009, Shani8-thank you so much for your reviews! I am so glad that you continue to enjoy the story!

Leila91-The Boy had milk crates as side tables for the first two weeks we dated, I quickly remedied _that _little horror! Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

KCS-I was getting pretty impatient with Joe myself! Thank you so much for your reviews, they always make me smile. :)

Cherylann Rivers-thank you so much for your review! Sometimes as I'm writing I think, "This is way too much detail; it's going to be a train wreck!" I hope that's never the case, but I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story! Thank you!

Diamond and Stars-welcome! I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story! Thank you so much for your review!

whitetigers: I know what you mean about wanting Christmas! As I was writing that I kept thinking about snow and winter adventures! Actually, I haven't watched a whole lot of old movies…but when I hang out with my grandfather, that's pretty much all he watches, so I've seen a few. I think I'm just a hopeless romantic, which can be a problem considering there aren't many men out there who know what the heck romance IS! :)

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 19**

Joe was confused. He couldn't figure out where he was or how he had gotten there. He was standing out in the middle of a field, a dilapidated barn stood in the distance. _How did I get all the way out here?_ He turned slowly in a full circle to inspect his surroundings, but there was nothing around but the barn. He started to walk toward it but it didn't seem to be getting any closer.

He broke out into a run and yet, the barn still seemed to be the same distance away as it had been before he had started running. He stopped, putting his hands on his knees, panting. The sun was beating down on his back and sweat poured down his face.

He looked up and the barn was gone. Instead, he was standing in a vast parking lot with not a car in sight. He looked frantically around before he saw Frank's car a few rows away. He made his way quickly over but found he could not get within ten feet of the car. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and tried to see inside the car, he was surprised to see Nancy at the wheel.

"Nancy!" he yelled and pounded his fists on the invisible wall in front of him.

Nancy turned and stared blankly at Joe before mouthing the words, "help me."

"Nancy? I can't! I can't help you!" he hit the wall in frustration. He watched in horror as a ring of fire surrounded the car, obscuring Joe's view of Nancy. Suddenly it wasn't Nancy sitting in the car anymore, but his mother. Then it was his father and then Frank, all of who were yelling for him to help them.

"I can't! I can't get through this wall!" he cried helplessly as he watched the flames grow bigger and he saw that Frank had turned into Iola who sat staring at him, crying silently. "Iola?" Joe whispered.

"Joe, you have to save them." Iola said.

"How?" Joe cried in frustration. He sunk to his knees in front of the wall and continued to try and pound his way through.

"Joe?" the voice had Joe looking up and he saw that instead of Iola, Vanessa was sitting in the burning car, staring out at him.

"Vanessa? Vanessa!" Joe leaped to his feet and with renewed vigor started running up and down the invisible wall to try and find a way through. "VANESSA!" he screamed as the flames slowly overtook the car.

* * *

"Joe. JOE!" Vanessa shook Joe's arm, "Baby, wake up!"

Joe woke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring down his face. He turned unseeing eyes onto Vanessa's and let out a ragged breath.

"Joe? It's okay, it was just a dream." She rubbed her hand over his back, noting the tensed muscles.

Joe took a few more deep breaths before running a hand through his hair, "its okay. They're okay, I'm okay."

"What happened?" Vanessa asked the concern clear on her face.

"It was just a dream…" his voice trailed off as he tried to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth.

"Here, I'll get you some water." Vanessa hopped out of bed and returned a few minutes later to find Joe considerably more composed. "Do you want to tell me about it? It seemed like a pretty intense dream."

Joe started to say no, but he looked down at Vanessa's left hand and noticed the ring she wore there. He reached up and drew her back down into bed with him. He told her about the dream, being stuck in the field and then finally about being unable to save the people he cared for the most from the fire.

"No matter what I did, I couldn't get near you guys." Joe set the empty glass on the bedside table and leaned back, pulling Vanessa with him. "I couldn't save you."

Vanessa nestled her head on Joe's shoulder and stayed silent for a moment. "Watching that video of your mom and Frank's car at the grocery store, that was really hard for you."

"Yeah," he leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, "apparently a lot harder than I thought."

* * *

Frank kicked the filing cabinet in the back room of _Hardy and Sons Investigations_ with a violent oath. Instead of magically opening the stuck drawer it only left Frank's foot throbbing. "Stupid, old, rusty, worn down, worthless, cheap, piece of junk!" he yanked once again on the door and it didn't budge.

Nancy, who had been waiting out in the main office area for Frank to return with the file they were looking for walked cautiously into the file room when she heard the thumps and cursing, "Frank?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there. I just have to…" he grunted as he pulled on the drawer once more.

"What's the problem?" Nancy walked over to stand beside him as Frank stopped trying to open the drawer and turned to stare at her.

"Well, the drawer is stuck. The worthless, stupid, cheap…"

Nancy cut him off, "I heard all of those descriptive words when I was walking back here." She looked up at him, "you seem to be a little worked up over a stuck drawer." She commented.

"I'm not…it's just frustrating when the stupid thing won't open!" He punctuated the last word with another sharp kick to the filing cabinet. When he glanced at Nancy and saw her simply staring at him, he gave in with a groan, "we're not even a week into our relationship and you can already read me like a book."

"Hey, I've known you for a long time Hardy. Spill." She leaned against the filing cabinet and waited for Frank to gather his thoughts.

"It's my mom. I almost got her killed! I mean, you saw the video, she was seconds away, literally seconds!" He slammed his fist on the top of the cabinet.

"Frank," Nancy laid a gentle hand on his arm. "You watched the video, you've heard the preliminary reports, someone put that explosive on the car _at _the grocery store."

"Does that make it less my fault? I'm the reason these two loony bins are after her in the first place."

"I'd say Joe and I have equal stakes in that blame as well, Frank." When Frank just stared at her she shrugged. "If we're going to place blame, shouldn't we place it on my shoudlers? My father and I caused Giamatti to go off the deep end in the first place. If it wasn't for that, he and Krieger would have never hooked up and started this insane revenge mission they're on."

"Nancy, you can't possibly blame this on yourself."

"Fine, then neither can you." Satisfied that she had gotten her point across she leaned over to examine the drawer herself and then ran a finger over the lock, "Here's your problem. It's locked."

Frank looked at the drawer, dumbfounded, "huh?"

"It's locked," Nancy repeated slowly.

"How do you know?" Frank asked skeptically.

"Well, when the lock is pushed in like that, it's locked." Nancy showed Frank what she meant. Indeed, on the filing cabinet he was trying to open the lock was pushed in, on the filing cabinet next to it the lock was out. "Do you have a key?" Nancy asked sweetly.

"Err…..that would be my Dad's department, I think." Frank scratched his head.

"Okay, let's just do this" Nancy reached up and pulled one of her clips out of her hair. Bending it slightly she inserted the clip into the lock, after a few minutes, the lock popped out and she pulled open the drawer. "Voila!" she cried.

Frank was staring, awestruck at Nancy, "you're incredible."

"You would have figured it out, too. Eventually." She laughed at his still stunned expression. Suddenly, Frank was swooping down to gather her into a laughing kiss. She pulled away, "what was that for?" she laughed when he shook his head.

"There are so many things about you that I…" he trailed off and suddenly got nervous. "There are just so many amazing things about you." He finished.

"Why thank you, you're not so bad yourself." She laughed at his expression and then turned back to the now open file cabinet. "Which one is it?"

He reached in and grabbed out the file on their case in Egypt, "I know we've already looked at this, but I'm hoping we overlooked something."

They left the file room and Frank entered the security code after they closed the door. They were just sitting down to pour over the contents of the file when Joe staggered in.

"Hey Joe, you look tired. Rough night?" Frank teased as Joe dropped himself into his desk chair.

"Something like that," Joe rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I didn't sleep so great."

Frank was about to laugh when he noted the desolate and distant look in Joe's eyes. Nancy saw it too and after a quick glance at Frank quickly excused herself to the kitchen, mumbling something about getting more coffee.

"What's up Joe? What's wrong?" Frank leaned forward in his desk chair.

Joe never kept anything from Frank and he knew that if there was one person who would understand completely, it would be Frank. Sure, Vanessa knew him and had known him when he was still suffering from Iola's death, but Frank had seen him at his darkest times.

"Last night…" Joe began and proceeded to tell Frank the whole story. When he was finished, Frank let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

Frank understood the constant fear for the ones you loved and he understood all to well the guilt that came along with what they chose to do for a living. "Joe, I…" he trailed off as he tried to figure out what to say next. "This job, what we do. It's a constant reminder of the danger we put ourselves and the people we care about in. All we can do is put the bad guys where they belong and try our hardest to protect the people we love."

"I know, but the dreams. Does the job have to come with those awful dreams?" Joe pouted down at his desk.

"I hear you; the dreams are nothing to laugh about. I have faith that they'll get better, as time goes by."

"Get better because life will get easier or get better because we become so desensitized and isolated we won't have the dreams anymore?"

"That is a very good question. I hope it's the first and not the second," Frank said, thinking of Nancy. _There's no way I'm going to lose her now, not after all these years and not after I just got her back into my life._

At his desk, Joe was thinking along the same lines. _Nothing is going to ruin what I have with Vanessa._

Both men were snapped out of their thoughts as Nancy slowly walked back into the room from the kitchen, "Guys?" she said, her voice hollow.

Frank stood up immediately and walked to her side, "Nancy, what's wrong?"

She handed the piece of paper she had in her hand wordlessly to Frank and Joe leapt up to read what was written on it over Frank's shoulder.

_Are you sure you've warned absolutely everybody?_

Frank's mouth formed a hard line as he re-read the words, "Where was this?" he asked.

"In my jacket pocket," Nancy replied. Frank's stomach churned at the thought of Giamatti or one of his men being close enough to get the note into Nancy's jacket. His hand curled into a fist and he glanced up as Nancy dashed quickly out of the room. Joe and Frank exchanged puzzled looks and waited for Nancy to return. She did a few minutes later with a plastic sandwich bag in her hands, "I don't know what I was thinking. Here, put it in this so we can check for prints."

Frank carefully set the note inside the bag and Nancy sealed it.

"What does that mean? Have we warned everybody?" Joe asked.

"Obviously they think we've left someone out, when we told people to be careful. You guys warned all of your friends and family members, right?" Nancy looked at the brother's in turn, they nodded.

"And you?" Frank asked and looked back down at the note in his hand.

"Yeah," she started counting them out on her fingers, "My father, Hannah, George and her boyfriend, Bess, Michael and his family, the entire Agency knows. My roommate from college, my roommate at Quantico, I even called my hairdresser, who I have a particular fondness for." At the boys laughing looks Nancy bristled, "what? Paulo does wonders with my hair."

"Whatever you say Nance." Joe said grinning.

"Paulo, huh? He sounds exotic, should I be worried?" Frank laughed as Nancy swatted his arm.

"Paulo happens to be attracted to men." Nancy sniffed and then narrowed her eyes at Frank, "if you're not careful, I'll send Paulo sniffing in your direction. You happen to be just his type." When Frank just grimaced Nancy nodded in satisfaction, "that's what I thought. Now, can we _please _stay focused here? Who could this note be referring to?"

"I don't know, old teachers? Classmates?" Joe suggested.

"Yeah, but people we don't talk to and don't necessarily have a connection to anymore?" Nancy shook her head, "they'd go after people we know now and have some sort of attachment to. Either that, or someone we were once strongly attached to in the past."

"We've warned every one," Frank looked at Joe and Joe nodded.

"You said you warned Callie, right?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, she and her fiancé are heading back home soon. They're being cautious."

Nancy nodded and then concentrated, trying to think of who they could have overlooked. The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.

Frank leaned over and picked up the extension on his desk, "Hardy and Sons Investigations, how can I help?"

"Hello Frank."

"Giamatti." Frank deadpanned and turned to look at Joe and Nancy, who had perked up upon hearing who it was on the phone.

"I would like to offer my congratulations." Giamatti drawled.

"Congratulations on what?" Frank spat out.

"On finally landing the girl."

Frank was quiet, "what does that have to do with this?" he hissed.

"Oh, I think quite a bit. Did she get my note?"

"Yes. You listen you sick son of a…" but Giamatti cut Frank off.

"Now, now, no need to get hostile Frank. I was merely asking if your little girlfriend had received my note because we found someone the three of you forgot to warn. Someone who wasn't looking for trouble and didn't know not to walk to the car in the dark all by themselves. Someone who was quite shocked to be assaulted on a weekday night after putting in a long day at work."

"What have you done?" Frank growled, his stomach sinking.

"Oh, it will be my pleasure to tell you Frank. It doesn't bode well for you, my friend." And Giamatti let out a loud and insane laugh, causing Frank's stomach to sink even more.

…………..

**Review?**


	20. Chapter 20

A/N**: **Okay, so I thought of a scene I'm just _dying _to write but it can't happen for a while...soooo...because I have tomorrow off you guys might be looking at two updates in a day. I'm not sure yet but I am just _itching_ to get this out. I'm so excited!

Once again, thank you _all_ for continuing to read! Also, I Love (yes, with a capital L) getting all of your reviews. I like to read them at work for a little pick me up and believe me...lately I've needed them, so THANK YOU! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 20**

"_Oh, it will be my pleasure to tell you Frank. It doesn't bode well for you, my friend." And Giamatti let out a loud and insane laugh, causing Frank's stomach to sink even more._

"What are you talking about?" Frank glanced at Joe and Nancy; they were looking at him questioningly.

"You've forgotten someone and I do believe it will cause you a lot of heartache, Frank."

"Why? Who is it? What have you done?" Frank growled, growing more and more frustrated as the minutes wore on.

"Why don't you ask Nancy, who I know is standing right there, if she is _sure_ she contacted everyone." Giamatti let out a playful laugh.

Frank turned to Nancy, "I think you may have forgotten someone."

Nancy's brow furrowed in concentration, trying to figure it out. Her face froze, a stunned expression followed and she yanked the phone away from Frank's hands. "What have you done to Ned, you bastard?" At her words Frank and Joe let out twin groans of frustration.

"Ah, why hello Nancy…you're a better detective than I gave you credit for, you figured that out rather quickly."

"We broke up a long time ago; I don't care about him anymore. He broke my heart." Nancy pressed a hand to her mouth to cover a sob, "You don't have to hurt him."

"Oh, it's too late for that. Besides, it's obvious that you're pretty upset about this. Boy, I sure hope Ned's pretty face isn't permanently disfigured. From what I heard my boys got a little carried away with the brass knuckles." His insane laughter was cut off as the line went dead in Nancy's hands.

She turned devastated eyes onto Frank's and then quickly started to dial the phone. "I'm not even sure of what his number is anymore, all I know is his parent's home number." She whispered, her hands shaking. A single tear made its way down her face and she brushed it away. "I can't do this," she said and started to hang up the phone. Frank reached in and grabbed it; he put it to his ear as the phone finished ringing.

"Hello?" answered a kind woman's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello," Frank said, "This is a friend of Ned's, is he around?"

"No, Ned doesn't live here anymore and besides, he's in New York for a conference. Who's this?" the woman asked with suspicion.

"Oh, a friend of his from high school, my name is Frank. You wouldn't happen to have his cell phone number, would you?" Frank leaned down to grab out a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Well, I do remember Ned talking about a Frank every once and awhile but I seem to remember he didn't like you very much." Frank grimaced, the truth of it was that Ned _hadn't_ liked him very much but at least he was getting the number. "Oh well, I'm probably mistaken." He wrote the number down and said goodbye. He hung up and was about to make the call when Nancy stopped him.

"It's okay, I can do it," Frank handed the number over silently and watched as Nancy slowly dialed the numbers. After a few moments the answering machine apparently picked up because Nancy said, "Hey Ned, this is Nancy. Could you call me when you get this?" She gave him her cell phone number and then said goodbye.

"There might be a very good reason why he didn't answer," Joe said hopefully, even though he didn't believe it for a second.

"Maybe" Nancy replied thoughtfully. She sounded as if she didn't believe Joe's words either and one look at Frank's expression said he felt the same way. Nobody said anything for a moment, not sure what they _should _say.

Finally, Frank cleared his throat and laid a tentative hand on Nancy's shoulder. Her back was turned away from them and he couldn't see her face, "listen, Nancy…"

Nancy cut him off and turned to face him, "Oh Frank, I know what you're going to say. You're going to say I shouldn't worry, that you're sure Ned is okay. I appreciate that, I really do, but how can you be so sure?" she ran a hand through her hair and sighed in frustration. "I should have remembered Ned! It's just, I haven't thought of him in so long and…I don't know, with you in my life now none of the previous stuff seems to matter." Nancy paused when she realized she had spoken that last bit out loud. She flushed in embarrassment, "I mean, this thing with you is so new and great that I…" she trailed off.

"I get it," Frank stepped forward and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, "I'm so amazing you've forgotten every other man in your life." His laughing eyes told her he was trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah, so amazing you've apparently forgotten that I'm _standing right here_ and you've just upped the uncomfortable level in the room by like, a hundred percent." Joe chimed in from behind Nancy and Frank.

"Well then, make yourself scarce brother," was Frank's offhand reply.

"Right, you guys waste five years and suddenly _I _have to adhere to your schedule," Joe scoffed and sat down in his desk chair, "that's not happening."

Nancy moved away from Frank's intense gaze and stared out the window, "I appreciate what you guys are doing, trying to make me feel better, but I need to know about Ned. What do we do now?"

She turned back around to face them, hugging her arms to herself. Frank longed to go to her and try to sooth away her worry and be able to tell her that everything was going to be alright, but he wasn't sure how he could. Not when the worry that was written all over her face was for a man she had spent so many years of her life with. Especially when that man had been part of the reason why Nancy and he had been kept apart all those years, what was he supposed to do?

"His mom said he was in New York for a conference," Frank said instead. "We could try calling the local hospitals, see if anything comes up."

"Great, let's do that." Nancy rushed forward and took a seat at Fenton's desk. "I'll pull up a list of hospitals and we can divide them up. There shouldn't be too many." She murmured and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

It turned out that there _could_ be that many and soon Nancy, Frank and Joe were calling the many hospitals in New York, starting with the ones located in the center of New York City. Joe looked down at his list and frowned, he had been given the hospital where Nancy and Frank had been taken after the warehouse fire. He picked up and dialed the number.

"City Hospital, how can I direct your call?" answered a bored voice.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you had a patient named Ned Nickerson there." Joe asked.

"What floor?" was the bored reply.

"Erm," Joe tapped his fingers, unsure of what to say, "he might be in the ER," he tried.

"Let me transfer you," the woman said abruptly and the hold music came on.

Joe was just starting to tap his fingers to the beat when a chipper voice answered the phone, "Yolanda here, how can I help you today?"

Joe was silent for a moment, "Yolanda?"

"Yeah sweetie, that's my name. Who's this?" she answered cheerfully.

"You probably won't remember me, but this is Joe Hardy. I was there a few days ago with my brother, Frank and Nancy Drew."

"Oh honey, of course I remember you! Have you asked that girlfriend of yours to marry you yet?"

Joe was dumbfounded, "uh, how did you know I was going to ask her to marry me?"

"Boy, it was obvious. You practically swooned when that pretty girl showed up."

"Oh, well…then, yes actually. I did."

"Congratulations sweetie. Now, what can I do for you? Did you guys forget something?"

"No, no" Joe shook his head; he had momentarily forgotten why he had called "I was wondering if you have a patient there by the name of Ned Nickerson?"

"Name sounds familiar, probably because of the double N's." she muttered to herself and Joe guessed she was looking for the name on her list. "Hmm, looks like a Mr. Ned Nickerson, victim of an apparent mugging is in bed 5. He's going to be transferred to a room on the third floor within the next half hour, been here a few hours getting emergency treatment for broken bones, internal bleeding and a plethora of other nasty injuries. Honey, where do you find your friends?"

"Victims-R-Us" Joe replied and earned a laugh from Yolanda, "thanks for the information; we'll be down soon to see him."

"Hey, if you think about it, stop on in and say hello. I'll be here until 11."

"I will, thanks again Yolanda." Joe hung up the phone to find Nancy and Frank staring at him. "Looks like Ned is at City Hospital, he'll be in his own room by the time we get there."

"Okay, let's go." Nancy jumped up, grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

Frank made as if to follow but Joe stopped him, "Frank, I saw your face earlier. Nancy's concern for Ned is just that, concern. She's with you now and anyone can see that that's all she wants."

"I know," Frank ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It's just hard because I know they have so much history and I can't help but wonder…"

"When she told me about their breakup she said she had been devastated about it." Frank groaned and Joe rushed on, "but, after she let herself work through it she realized that it was for the best, that she and Ned weren't right for each other. Ned never understood her passion for solving crimes, you do and she knows that."

"Thanks, Joe." Frank clapped his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Nancy poked her head back into the room, "Hello? Can we get going please? I want to beat traffic into New York City."

"Hasn't anyone ever told you there's no beating traffic into New York City?" Joe grabbed his jacket off the rack and Nancy rolled her eyes.

"Just get a move on!" she called and ran back outside, her long hair flying behind her.

"Yeah, Joe…get a move on. You're always so slow." Frank grinned when his brother stuck his tongue out at him and quickly ducked outside to avoid the pencil missile Joe aimed at his head.

* * *

They arrived at City Hospital a few hours later, having battled New York City traffic, much to Nancy's annoyance. Joe was parking the car and Nancy and Frank were currently trying to find out where Ned was.

"We were told he'd be on this floor," Nancy told the receptionist they had found after taking the elevator up to the third floor.

"Hmm…." The receptionist scanned her list again, "I don't see him on here, sweetie. Are you sure?"

"Nickerson? He's really not on that list?" Nancy asked, getting slightly frantic.

"I can check again but…." The receptionist started her scan of the list again and a nurse came over to drop off a new patient's file. The receptionists eyes glanced down at the new file in front of her and her eyes lit up, "here we go! Nickerson, Ned…they've put him in room 317."

"Thank you so much," Nancy smiled in relief. "Is it okay if we go back there?"

"Should be, but if the door is closed I'd knock first."

After thanking the receptionist again, Frank and Nancy made their way down the hall to room 317. The door wasn't closed but it stood about halfway open. Nancy approached the door slowly and then turned to look at Frank, "maybe it would be a good idea for you to wait here." Nancy murmured.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Frank grabbed Nancy's hand before she could slip inside the room, "wait." He said and leaned down to lay his lips on hers in a soft kiss. "I'm right here." He whispered. Nancy smiled and ducked inside.

Frank took to pacing the hallway in front of room 317 and was soon joined by Joe, "anything?" he asked Frank. Frank shook his head, "what took you so long?" he asked.

"Oh I stopped by to see Yolanda." at Frank's questioning gaze Joe explained, "the ER nurse I met when we were here last."

Frank nodded and resumed his pacing. Joe took a seat against the wall to watch his brother's nervous movements. "Frank," he said and got no response, "Frank!" finally he stopped and looked over at Joe, "stop pacing. You look like you're wife is in that room about to give birth."

Frank groaned, but stopped pacing and leaned against the wall next to Joe. He rushed toward the door when he heard the agitated shouting, Joe jumped to his feet and followed.

* * *

Nancy crept silently into the room and walked over to the still form that was lying in the hospital bed. At first glance it looked like the person was asleep, but when Nancy got closer she could see that Ned was staring blankly at the ceiling.

As she approached the bed she saw Ned's eyes flicker over and look at her before resuming their staring.

"Ned?" she said cautiously. She couldn't see the rest of his body but she saw that his arm was in a sling and his face was covered in bandages. One eye was swollen shut and his knuckles were torn and bloody.

Nancy took a step closer to the bed and tried again, "Ned?"

Finally, he spoke. "What are you doing here?" he croaked, his voice weak.

"Ned..." her voice trailed off, she wasn't sure what she should say.

Ned let out a sarcastic laugh, which obviously caused him pain because he winced. "I don't know why I'm asking you why you're here. It's obvious why you are, I should have known. The famous girl detective strikes again!" he continued his inspection of the ceiling.

"Ned, I'm so sorry. I-I wish..."

"You wish? Yeah, I wish things too." he looked up to glare at her and then looked determinedly back at the ceiling.

"Ned, the men who did this to you...did you see them at all?" Nancy tried to move past the pain of having Ned so angry with her, but it was a tough pill to swallow.

"No, Nancy. I didn't see the men who did this to me. Of course, it was a little hard with the bag over my head and getting kicked in the stomach."

"Ned, I'm so..." Nancy began but Ned cut her off.

"Sorry?" he finished for her sarcastically and glared at her. "Yeah, you always were 'sorry' weren't you? I'd like you to leave." he once again turned his gaze to the ceiling.

"But Ned..." Nancy tried and was once again cut off.

"I want you OUT!" Ned shouted angrily.

"Ned..."

"Get. OUT!" he tried to sit up but the pain was too excruciating, it had him wheezing and hissing in pain.

"Nancy, what's going on?" Frank burst into the room and the sudden appearance of the older Hardy had Ned pausing and letting out an angry breath.

"Huh, another thing that doesn't come as much of a surprise." Ned said and noted the fading bruises on his face, "did she cause those, too?" he looked over at the nurse who had just hurried into the room to see what the source of all the noise was about. "I want them out of here. Now." The nurse turned and hurried Frank, Joe and Nancy out of the room.

Out in the hall Joe turned to look at Nancy, "what, was that?"

"I don't know," she answered quietly, staring back at the room. "That is not the Ned that I once knew." Frank reached over and pulled Nancy into a fierce hug, rubbing his hand down her back.

"Why was he so angry at you? Wasn't he the one who broke up with you?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, yeah...he broke up with me." Nancy mumbled into Frank's chest.

The nurse who had shooed them out of Ned's room came out just then and came over to the confused trio. "I'm sorry about that, but Mr. Nickerson's medication makes him very prone to mood swings, I'm afraid you caught him at a bad time."

Nancy pulled out of Frank's protective arms and reached into her bag. Grabbing one of her cards she scribbled her cell phone number on the back, "would you please call me if anything changes? Or if he'd like to talk to me?"

"Of course," the nurse pocketed the card and went back to the nurse's station.

"Well? What now? We're in New York City, is there something we can do while we're here?" Joe asked.

"I could do with some more clothes," Nancy shrugged. Frank could see that she was trying to act nonchalant about her confrontation with Ned but he could see that it was really bothering her.

"Does that mean you're going to stay in Bayport?" Frank asked hopefully.

"Well, the two of you are based there and I can phone in my reports to the bureau. Your mother said it was fine that I stay with them and I think I will until we get these psycho's behind bars." Nancy hit the button for the down elevator and Frank glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You don't have to stay at my parents..." he trailed off and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Nancy snorted, "I feel safer at your parents."

Frank reached for her when they walked onto the elevator and started nuzzling her neck playfully, "come on, have a sleep over with me."

Nancy laughed and tried to push Frank off of her, "get off me, you idiot." she said smiling.

"Hello? Right here!" Joe called from the other corner of the elevator.

"Little brother, I had to endure _years_ and still have to endure this kind of stuff with you and Vanessa. Get over it." Frank swooped Nancy up and swung her around.

"Frank! Stop it!" he set her down and she put her hands on her hips, "I am not staying at your place. We've barely been dating two seconds!"

"Yes, but we've known each other a lifetime," Frank clasped his hands together and batted his eyelashes at her. She just laughed and threw her arms around him.

"I never did this kind of thing when we were in an elevator," Joe grumbled "it's a small space...can't really leave, can I?"

Frank and Nancy ignored Joe and continued their shameless flirting. Finally, Joe got fed up and practically ran out of the elevator when the doors opened. "You know," he said turning to Frank, "you're acting completely out of character. You're _never_ this happy. Especially while working on a case." Joe pulled his features into a serious expression and adopted a voice that sounded so much like Frank's it was scary. "No Joe, we mustn't jump to the wrong conclusion so quickly. We must think things through in a logical way without any smiling."

Nancy roared with laughter, "do another one, Joe!" she linked her arm with Joe's and the two walked a few feet in front of Frank, doing their best impressions of the serious older Hardy. Frank grimaced but didn't try and stop them, at least for now Nancy seemed to have forgotten how upset she was about Ned.

* * *

"Do you have any food?" Joe called out as he wandered down the hall towards Nancy's bedroom where she was gathering some more clothes.

"Help yourself to whatever is in there, I don't remember when I went shopping last, so the pickings might be slim." Nancy replied and folded a shirt to add to her already bulging bag.

Frank sat on her bed and watched her methodical way of packing, "you planning on moving to Bayport or something?" he teased as he watched her add yet another pair of pants.

"I'm a girl." she replied simply. "It's a trait of my kind, we over pack. Better than the awful trait of your kind. You never pack enough and end up wearing the same sweaty socks for a week."

"Yeah, we do that even if we have a clean pair." Frank laughed

"That's disgusting," Nancy wrinkled her nose and then stood staring down at her bag, "I think that's everything." she murmured and then started to try and do up the zipper.

After watching her struggle for a minute Frank finally leaned over to help, "fortunately, the male has been given the gift of closing the female's over packed bag." After a few mighty jerks the bag finally closed.

"I could have gotten it, eventually." Nancy grumbled. Frank laughed and reached down to pick up the bag. Her feminist feathers ruffled Nancy pushed Frank's hand away, "I packed the heavy suitcase, I can carry it." she said. With all the dignity she could muster and without showing how much it was costing her, she sailed out of the room and into the living room. She set the bag down by the door with a small sigh of relief and barely resisted rubbing her arm when she saw Frank smirking at her.

"Joe!" she called instead and turned toward her kitchen. She found Joe sitting on her counter with a soda and a sandwich in his hand. "I didn't know I had stuff to make sandwiches."

"You didn't really, I had to improvise." Joe grinned and tapped the hand with the sandwich in it against his temple, "it's my amazing creativity."

Nancy laughed and tried not to think of what was on that sandwich. She turned at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She hurried over to her purse and started digging around frantically, "where is it?" she muttered and started pulling things out, "come on, where is it?" she was starting to get frustrated. She turned her purse over and emptied the contents out on the couch. She pawed through them and then looked up to see Frank holding her cell phone.

"It was in your jacket," he said simply and handed her the phone.

She flipped it open on the last ring, "Drew." she said quickly and pulled some hair out of her mouth. She stopped when she heard Ned's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Nancy, hi." Ned said.

"Ned?" Nancy held up a hand and then walked into her bedroom for privacy. "I'm glad you called. Listen, Ned I'm so sorry about all of this."

"Nancy, you don't have to apologize. It's me who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you. You don't deserve that. You've always tried to do the right thing by everyone in your life. Listen, are you okay?"

"Me? Me, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about. I'm going to come back to the hospital."

"No, no...don't worry about it. My parents are on their way. I'll call you if I remember anything about the attack...I just, I can't see you again. It's hard, you know...seeing you with him."

Nancy wasn't sure what to say. After all, Ned had been the one to break up with _her_ all those years ago. "I understand that." she finally managed.

"Yeah, well. Take care of yourself."

"You too, watch your back until we catch the people who did this." Nancy said goodbye and hung up. She walked back into the living room, "he just wanted to apologize." she shrugged, "I guess he's pretty confused."

"Yeah, I guess." Joe mumbled around a rather large bite of sandwich.

"Alright, well...are you all ready?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, I'll call and check in with Michael on our way back to Bayport." Nancy leaned down to grab her bag but Frank beat her to it.

"Allow me," he said grinning, "and not because I think you're too weak to do it yourself, but because my mother raised me to be a gentleman."

"In that case, let me get the door." Nancy replied and held the door open for Joe and Frank to go through before shutting it behind them and locking it.

They were settling into the car for the ride back to Bayport when Nancy pulled out her phone to call Michael, "Michael, it's Nancy."

"Nancy, I was just about to call you." Michael sounded like he was out of breath.

"What's going on?" Nancy asked and glanced at Frank who was in the drivers seat.

"You're never going to believe this one, Drew."

"Try me."

"They caught a couple of Giamatti's henchmen trying to make a sizable withdrawal from his bank account. Why they thought they could, I'll never understand. But, that's not the best part." Michael paused before continuing, "the best part is that the men they caught are willing to talk. They're being interrogated right now as we speak. It's only a matter of time before they lead us straight to Giamatti and hopefully then to Krieger."

Nancy was stunned, this case just kept getting more and more bizarre.

* * *

**I have no idea if there is a medication (for pain, I know that there is medication that can give you mood swings but I just don't know if there is any pain medication like that) that can make you so super grumpy like that...but I figured, "hey! If I was in a hospital bed bruised and broken and scared I might get a little mad too!" Talk about your defense mechanisms! I wanted it to be the medication's fault to give poor ol' Ned a bit of a break. I apologize to any Ned fans...but I was never the biggest fan, even though he did have his moments. :)  
**


	21. Chapter 21

A/N:Hey guys! I am SO sorry I didn't get the chance to update until _just now_ but I had to go to work today. Apparently, the whole place is going to fall apart without me and so they just _had _to call me in today on my _day off_. GRR... Anyway, I feel so bad that I teased all of you by saying that I might update twice...so bad that I decided to stay up late and try and finish this chapter so I could get it out to you guys ASAP. I was supposed to have tomorrow off as well but unfortunately, they've asked me to come in tomorrow too. I'm going to try really hard to get a chapter out tomorrow though anyway. :)

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter...things are going to start hopping now! Thank you SO much for your reviews...today at work I was so grumpy because I had to be there on my day off, but reading your reviews made me smile, so thank you! Thanks to all who continue to read! Enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 21**

Nancy stood, with her arms crossed and glared at the two men in the interrogation room behind the glass, "how stupid do you have to be to try and withdraw money from a bank account, in person, when the person whose bank account it is happens to be _seriously_ wanted by the FBI?" Nancy asked Michael, who was standing to her right in the observation room.

"Apparently, pretty stupid," Michael replied, "obviously stupid enough to also talk and give up your boss, who has connections both in and outside of prison that will make your life _very _interesting."

"Yeah, whatever is left of that life," Nancy shrugged, "after you've snitched on a guy like Giamatti, that life isn't going to last much longer."

"True," Michael agreed and nodded his head.

They listened in as the FBI interrogator, Agent Wiggins, entered the room, "Alright boys, you've been very helpful so far and I trust you'll continue to be just as helpful. Are you ready to tell us just where Giamatti is located? Where is his base of operations?"

The two thugs remained silent and shared a look. Finally, the bigger of the two cleared his throat and said, "Fine, we'll tell you where he is but we gotta have some sort of immunity or something. Protection at least, Giamatti is a tough guy on traitors."

"As I've already explained to you, I can't guarantee that sort of thing but I can tell you I'll try my best to get you some sort of deal." Agent Wiggins leaned on the table and waited for a response.

"Fine," the thug responded and began detailing the place that Giamatti was staying while in the New York area. Nancy cocked her head as she listened. She knew the place he was talking about was about 20 miles north of Bayport. There was something about the two that just wasn't clicking. She knew that they had been the ones to attack her and Frank in her apartment but she felt that she had seen them even before that.

"Those two," Nancy murmured, "I've seen them before."

"Yeah, as they were attacking you in your apartment," Michael said.

"No…" Nancy's voice trailed off as she tried to place the two men. Finally, it clicked. "Those are the two men who were with Gabriel DiMeo in the barn five years ago!" she cried quietly, not wanting to be overheard in the room beyond the glass.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked

"Yes, I'm certain and Frank and Joe will be able to identify them as well." Nancy smiled triumphantly, "if we can get them to confirm that they were the two with DiMeo we can _certainly_ tie Giamatti into the event that happened five years ago. As of right now all we have is Giamatti's wild boasting to suggest he had anything to do with it. A testimony from these guys will lock that up tight, no jury would be able to throw that out on an insanity charge."

Nancy's eyes gleamed as she turned to walk to the door leading into the interrogation room, "Nancy, what are you doing?" Michael hissed as he quickly followed her.

"I'm going to see if they remember me," Nancy smiled grimly and pulled open the door.

Agent Wiggins straitened to see who was interrupting them, "Agent Drew, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to talk to these two for a moment, if you don't mind." Nancy walked over and faced the men on the opposite side of the table and laid her palms down on the cold metal surface. "Hi boys, remember me?"

They exchanged confused glances and then glanced up at Agent Wiggins, "listen lady, we've already told him everything about that night in your apartment. We were just taking orders."

"You and I both know I'm not talking about that night in my apartment." Nancy continued her stare down of the thugs, who started squirming under her direct gaze.

"Well…." The first one started and grimaced, showing his gold tooth. Nancy's mind clicked back five years to the time she and Joe had been sitting in the hospital waiting to hear about Frank's condition. Joe had mentioned the thug he had fought off had a gold front tooth.

The second one spoke up then, "we was just following orders that day in the barn. Giamatti told us to go with that guy and scare ya. No one said anything about killing that guy."

"So, you admit you were told, by Giamatti to go to that barn to 'scare' us? Would you be willing to add that to your statement?" Nancy asked straitening.

"Sure," the first thug shrugged, "might as well."

Nancy nodded, satisfied. She turned to face Agent Wiggins, "could you see that all of that gets added to their statements?" she asked. Agent Wiggins nodded and she sailed out of the room.

Michael stood waiting for her, "it doesn't do much, but it sure helps tie it all together nicely." He commented.

"It sure does." Nancy and Michael walked down the hallway together and turned into their office. "Okay Michael, it's about time for me to meet Frank and Joe. I'll be in Bayport for the time being, you can call me if you need to. I'll call and check in every day or so." Nancy grabbed her purse out of her desk. After exchanging good byes with her partner she made her way downstairs and to the street, where Frank and Joe were waiting to pick her up.

"Did you find anything?" she asked as she climbed into the backseat.

"Nothing," Frank said in disgust as Joe pulled away from the curb and into the busy city traffic. He and Joe had decided to use the time that Nancy was at the bureau with the two thugs going over the warehouse. They were unable to find anything that the FBI had overlooked. "What about you, what did they say?"

"A lot…mostly information that will help us drag down Giamatti for good. Things we already knew but have shaky evidence for. With their statements we'll be able to nail Giamatti to the wall. I also got them to confess to being sent by Giamatti to attack us in that barn all those years ago. Not a big deal, but in the end it will help give us an airtight case against Giamatti."

"What about Krieger? Did they say anything about him, what he's up to? We haven't heard anything about him except from the odd mention from Giamatti." Frank turned in his seat to get a better look at Nancy.

"Nothing, not a word…of course, we asked them about him but they say that they've never met him." Nancy took in Frank's expression. "What? You think they could be holding something back?"

"Possibly, it would be worth it to try and find out." Frank replied.

"So, to sum up: we've still got nothing." Joe glanced over at his brother, who nodded. "That's what I thought." he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as he merged onto the interstate, obviously frustrated, "so now its, return to Bayport and hope Giamatti just, falls into our laps?"

"Joe, I'm just as frustrated as you are, but we'll figure this out eventually." Frank clasped Joe's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Joe gave a curt nod but kept his eyes on the road.

When they arrived back in Bayport it was late and they decided to drop Joe off first because his apartment was closest to the freeway exit. They all climbed out of the car and Joe headed for the entrance to the apartment building, "alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow at the office." he waved tiredly and trudged inside.

Frank got into the drivers seat and Nancy climbed into the passenger side, "you know," Frank began as he put the car into reverse, "it would make more sense if we both just went back to my place, since it's closest. You'd be doing me a favor, I wouldn't have to drive _all_ of the way to my parents and then _all _the way back to my place." Frank tried for his best smile.

"Hmm...I don't think so. I need to get some sleep and for some reason I'm thinking I wouldn't get much sleep if I went to your place." Nancy returned Frank's smile.

"But think of how _practical _it would be,"

Nancy laughed, "fine, we'll stop at your place, I'll drop you off and then drive this car back to your parents. That sounds pretty practical to me."

Frank groaned, "fine, I get it."

Nancy reached over and grabbed Frank's hand, "don't worry. I still want to see what kind of weird jumble of furniture you have in your bedroom." Frank laughed and turned down the street that would lead to his parents.

They pulled into the driveway ten minutes later and Frank jumped out of the car to grab Nancy's bag and walk her to the door. Nancy pulled out a key on a single key chain and answered Frank's questioning look, "your parents gave me a key for situations like this."

"Ah, they must trust you quite a bit."

"They must," she responded with a smile.

"Well, Drew. It's certainly been an interesting first week of being with you." Frank smiled and cupped Nancy's face in his hands, "and just so we're perfectly clear, being 'with you' means we're together, which means we're dating. Exclusively."

Nancy laughed, "oh, is that what that means?"

"Yes," Frank replied and leaned down to lay a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away, "it's New Years Eve tomorrow."

"It is?" Nancy frowned in confusion, "wow, it is. Christmas feels like ages ago!"

"I know. I can't wait to usher in the New Year with you."

"Me neither." Nancy smiled back and reached up to lay a kiss of her own on Frank's lips. She turned to go into the house, grabbing her bag. "Pick me up in the morning?" she asked.

"You know, we could ride together if you came back with me." When Nancy just laughed and shook her head, Frank shrugged. "I had to try, one more time."

"Good night, Frank." Nancy was smiling as she shut the door on a grinning Frank.

* * *

Joe woke up early the next morning in a cold sweat. He lay panting in his bed, disoriented. He glanced around to orient himself and saw that the bed was empty beside him. One glance at the bathroom door told him that Vanessa was already getting ready for the day. Joe groaned and covered his sweaty face with his hands.

The dream had come again, this time stronger and more intense. He lay in bed for a few moments trying to gather his wits. He hadn't slept very well at all. As tired as he had been when he had gotten home last night he hadn't been able to fall asleep until very late in the night. Even then it had been a fitful and restless sleep.

He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and rested his arms on his knees, he turned when he heard the bathroom door open and offered Vanessa a tired smile. "Good morning, beautiful."

"You're so cheesy, I love it." Vanessa crawled across the bed to wrap her arms around Joe from behind. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek and then rested her chin on his shoulder, "rough night?"

"Yeah, just couldn't sleep." Joe shrugged and then turned to look at Vanessa, he kissed her quickly. "I'm going to take a shower."

Vanessa nodded and climbed off the bed, "I'll start coffee."

A little while later and Joe was out of the shower, he towel dried his hair and then inspected his face in the bathroom mirror. He looked exhausted, there was no way around that. He reached into the bottom drawer for his razor and his hand brushed against a prescription bottle. "What's this?" he murmured and pulled it out.

"I haven't seen this is in years." he said to himself and read the label. It was a prescription from years ago. He had been prescribed it after Iola died and the nightmares had been keeping him from getting sleep. It was odd that he would find it now, when dreams were beginning to haunt him once again. He had only ever taken the pills once, when he had been at his most desperate. He had vowed never to take them again however, when he saw how much they affected him.

"Joe?" Vanessa poked her head into the bathroom and Joe hastily stuffed the pills into his pocket. He wasn't sure why he didn't want Vanessa to see the pills, he just knew that he didn't want her to draw the wrong conclusions. He'd put them back in the drawer where he had found them as soon as she left.

"Yeah?" he put on his most charming smile and went over to put his hands on her hips.

"Coffee's ready and I'm making eggs and bacon." she smiled when Joe's face lit up.

"You are? Geez, will you marry me?" he asked teasingly.

"I think I already said yes to that question, but I would be more than happy to say it again. Yes!" she replied with a smile and grabbed his hand. She dragged him out of the bathroom and down the hall. "Sit, breakfast is about ready." she pointed to a dining room chair and he lowered himself into it.

"Can I do anything to help?" Joe called as she disappeared into the kitchen.

She walked back out a second later with two plates, "you know, it's adorable that you even asked." she set a plate down in front of him and another in front of a second chair, "don't worry about it, I'll just grab the coffee and be right back."

He waited to start eating until she returned, Vanessa smiled inwardly at the gesture. He was so thoughtful. "Eat up!" she declared and dug into her eggs, bacon and toast with gusto.

Joe let out an appreciative moan at the first bite, "cheese, you put cheese in the eggs."

"I would never dare to make them any other way," Vanessa answered solemnly.

"I sure do love you," Joe lifted his tired eyes to Vanessa's and smiled warmly. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do with all this love I have inside of me for you."

Vanessa felt tears start to well up in her eyes, "Joe, I love you too. And don't you dare say anything like that to me on our wedding day. You'll have me blubbering like an idiot all the way down the aisle."

"I can't make any promises. When I'm giddy with happiness I tend to say whatever is on my mind." Joe laughed when Vanessa pulled a face. "Come here so I can kiss you."

Vanessa smiled and got up to sit on Joe's lap, happy to oblige.

* * *

An hour later and Frank, Nancy and Joe sat in the office of _Hardy and Sons Investigations_ discussing not the case, but their plans for New Years Eve.

"Chet invited us all out to the farm. They're having their big celebration out there complete with fireworks." Joe informed Nancy and Frank.

"That sounds like fun!" Nancy looked at Frank, "is it alright if we go?"

"Of course we can go," Frank leaned over and gave Nancy a smacking kiss.

"Would you two _please_ knock it off?" Joe said with a groan, "I don't think I was ever that embarrassing." He shoved his hands into his pockets and encountered the bottle of sleeping pills from that morning, he pulled them out and tossed them in the top drawer of his desk.

"Yeah right," Franks scoffed and leaned back in his chair, "you and Vanessa can get pretty revolting."

Before the boys could start really laying into each other Nancy intervened and changed the subject. "Where's your dad?" she asked the brothers.

"I don't know, he tried to play the 'owner of the business' card again to get out of coming to work today but we told him that he could only play that game on actual holidays, which isn't until tomorrow." Joe glanced outside, "he should be here by now."

"Well, where should we start first?" Frank asked but he was interrupted by the arrival of an unknown car in the parking lot. "Is it dad?" he asked Joe, who was the only one with a semi-clear view of the lot.

"It's not his car and I can't tell who just got out of the driver's seat." Joe stood up to go to the door when it was pushed open to reveal a very mad, very haggard looking Giamatti. Joe was about to lunge forward when Giamatti pulled a gun out from beneath his jacket. He shook it wildly and pulled the trigger so a shot rang out and plaster rained down from the ceiling.

"Why, hello friends!" he cried. "It's great to see you all again."

Frank inched his chair over slightly to the left in order to shield Nancy from Giamatti's line of fire. The man standing in front of them now was anything but stable. There was no telling what he might do next. Frank wanted to be sure that if nothing else, he protected Nancy from the wild eyed man in front of them.

* * *

**Review?**


	22. Chapter 22

* * *

A/N: Do you ever have one of those weeks where, everything is just _crap?_ Yeah, that's been my week. Not only have I not had a day off in three weeks, but the people at my work are being…shall we say, _irritating._ Oh well, what are you going to do, eh? Also, yesterday I was having one of those days where if someone said _anything,_ it just upset me. I don't know why…whatever, today is a new day and I'm ready to start writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it and thanks to everyone who continues to read and review!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 22**

Frank watched helplessly as Giamatti ordered Nancy to open the bag he had carried inside with him. Inside Nancy found coils of rope, "tie them up." Giamatti ordered her and nudged her towards Frank and Joe with his gun. "I'll be re-checking everything you do so make sure those ropes are tight." Giamatti kept the gun trained on Nancy as he watched her tie up Joe to his chair and then Frank to his.

Frank and Nancy exchanged a glance as Nancy set about tying Frank to his desk chair. Frank's eyes said it all: _don't worry; we'll get out of this._ Nancy offered Frank a weak smile and then turned to face Giamatti.

They all glanced out the window at the sound of a car driving up to the building, the three exchanged glances. Fenton had finally arrived at work. "Who's that?" Giamatti yanked at his hair and breathed heavily. "Who IS THAT!" he yelled, his voice steadily rising in volume. Joe watched as his father parked his car. Giamatti quickly spun around to face Nancy, who stood untied next to Frank. Nancy knew before Giamatti moved what he planned to do. She braced for the blow as Giamatti brought the butt of his gun crashing down on to her skull. She fell to the floor in an unconscious heap.

"You bastard!" Frank fought violently against his bonds.

"Shut up," Giamatti hissed and he pointed the gun at Nancy. "Don't make a sound or I'll just shoot her."

Frank was silent but he couldn't take his eyes off of Nancy's still form. Giamatti rushed over to the front door and opened it a crack. He shot once, then twice and yelled out to Fenton. He slammed the door, shut the blinds on the front window and then looked frantically around at his hostages.

With a wild yell he rushed over to Nancy and yanked her arms together behind her back. He tied her arms tightly and then moved to her legs. When he was done he scuttled backward to lean against the wall and wiped a hand across his forehead, he was sweating profusely. Panting, he stared vacantly straight ahead and didn't say anything for a full minute.

Frank and Joe glanced helplessly at each other, afraid to say anything that would cause Giamatti to do something crazy. The man who was currently panting against the wall was certainly crazy.

"Giamatti…" Joe finally started to speak and Giamatti whirled around to look at Joe. He pointed the gun at the ceiling above Joe's head and squeezed the trigger.

Joe winced as plaster rained down around him, "nobody speaks. I need to figure out what to do." Giamatti glanced at the front door as the sound of sirens grew closer and closer. He mumbled incoherently to himself as he hung his head in his hands and pulled at his hair. Frank made out a few of the words, it sounded as if he was talking about someone betraying him.

Frank took a chance, "who betrayed you, Giamatti?"

He stood up so quickly Frank jerked in his chair but all Giamatti did was pace back and forth in front of them. "That foul mouthed, two timing Krieger!" he spat.

"What did he do?" Joe asked.

Giamatti whirled around to face Joe and glared at him, "he paid my own men, MY MEN to rat me out! I barely escaped from my home before the feds arrived."

'_So, that answers my suspicions about the two men Nancy interviewed,'_ Frank thought to himself. He glanced back down at Nancy as she began to stir, "Nancy?" he whispered, not wanting to upset Giamatti who was peering through the slats in the front window blinds.

Nancy rolled onto her back and blinked her eyes groggily, "that hurt."

Giamatti whirled around at the sound of Nancy's voice and walked quickly over to her. She recoiled in anticipation of a blow but instead Giamatti yanked her up to a sitting position and leaned her against the wall. Frank could see the trickle of blood on Nancy's temple and for a few moments all he could do was stare at the blood.

"What?" Nancy said when she noticed Frank's stare. "Do I have something in my teeth?" she joked weakly.

Frank shook his head, "no, no you don't have anything in your teeth." He glanced over at Giamatti who had resumed his peering out of the blinds.

"More and more keep coming," he murmured to himself. "There are so many. They're all watching me, waiting for me to fail." He chuckled to himself, "I won't fail; they won't get me. They can't get me."

Frank couldn't help but shudder at Giamatti's insane mumbling. He shared a look with Joe and he nodded almost imperceptibly, understanding completely what Joe meant by his look. They had to figure a way out of this situation before Giamatti snapped even more than he had already.

* * *

Fenton Hardy glanced down at the clock on his dashboard and noticed the time _'Joe is going to give me such a hard time!' _He chuckled to himself and turned into the parking lot of _Hardy and Sons_. It was something that gave him continuous enjoyment, getting to work with his sons every day. Pulling into the parking lot and seeing the sign out front and then walking inside to see Joe and Frank working together on solving something always gave him a rush. His dream of having an investigation business with his two sons had finally come true.

He frowned as he parked next to a vehicle he didn't recognize, _'probably a customer wanting another cheating spouse to be trailed' _he thought to himself and stepped out of his car. He was still smiling as he turned to lock the door of his car and then turn to go up the narrow walkway to the front door.

He was about to set foot on the first step when a shot rang out, narrowly missing him and hitting a nearby bush instead. Fenton dove for cover and looked up at the front door of his business, which was cracked open slightly.

"Stay away!" screamed a voice, "I have your sons in here, stay away!" Another shot rang out and Fenton ducked down low.

"What do you want!" he called back, but instead the door was slammed shut and the curtains were quickly pulled shut.

Fenton swore in frustration, was it Giamatti? Was Nancy in there? The man had only said that he had his sons in there, where was Nancy? He heard sirens in the distance and knew that someone had called the police after hearing the shots. Seconds later two police cruisers roared into the parking lot, lights blazing. Fenton took a chance and dashed over to the first car and took cover behind it as the police officers started climbing out.

Fenton looked to see who was crouched beside him and saw that it was Con Riley, "Fenton! What's going on here?"

"No idea," Fenton shifted to see if he could get a better view of the front door. It was closed and he turned back to Con, "I just got here and I was walking up the walkway when a man started shooting at me. I think its Vincent Giamatti. He says he has my sons in there and I think there might also be an additional female by the name of Nancy Drew."

Con knew the Hardy's well enough not to be shocked that one of the most wanted criminals in the country would be in their business holding people hostage.

"Alright," he nodded his head and radioed the information into dispatch, "they're going to send in back up and the hostage negotiator, in case we can't wrap this thing up quickly. Let's get your sons out of there."

Fenton winced as a shot from inside the building rang out and a crashing sound followed. He only hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Four hours later and Frank, Joe and Nancy were still being held hostage by Giamatti. Frank struggled silently against his bonds, trying to find a weak spot in the knots that he could use to his advantage.

Giamatti had stayed relatively silent, alternating between mumbling quietly to himself and staring out the window at the cop cars surrounding the building. The phone had rung multiple times during those four hours but Giamatti had stubbornly refused to answer it. The cops had also tried to contact them via megaphone but had so far, they had not been answered.

The phone rang again and this time Giamatti glanced at it. He walked across the room in three quick strides and snatched up the receiver. "Hello?" He was silent for a moment as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone talk. "No way, I want something in return." Silence, "Yes they're all still alive!" He glanced at Joe who was sitting closest to him, "Fine." He growled and shoved the phone at Joe, "don't say anything stupid," he advised Joe and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Joe said into the phone, "Dad, yes Frank and I are fine. Nancy is here too." He listened for a moment, "okay, I love you too." Joe looked up at Giamatti, "they want to talk to you again."

Giamatti brought the phone to his ear, "there you go. You know that they're safe. Now I need some things in return." he was quiet for a moment, before he shouted in anger, "sign of good faith? A sign of good faith? No, you'll get me what I want or you'll be sorry" he screamed into the phone, "I'll kill them one by one, if you're not careful!" He slammed the phone down in its cradle and whirled around. He walked across the room before turning to face the trio, "I'm not going back to prison." He growled, "It looks like the three of you are going to get a taste of what it's like to be locked up with nowhere to go. Krieger may have betrayed me, but it's me who will be getting the revenge we both want so badly!" he laughed uproariously.

Nancy shifted uncomfortably from her place on the floor. Her legs and arms had long since gone numb; even if she could get herself untied she wouldn't be able to do much in her current state. If she could just get untied and then somehow get the feeling back into her legs…and with that an idea started to form in her head. "Hey!" she called out to get Giamatti's attention. "Hey, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Too bad," Giamatti muttered.

"No, I really have to go." Nancy wasn't sure if she was lacing her voice with enough of a whine, she wasn't used to doing that. She tried again, "please? Please, please, please?" she started to wiggle her legs to add to the illusion of immediacy and tried to ignore the twin looks from both Frank and Joe. They had never heard her whine like that before; they were looking at her as if she had grown an extra head.

"Fine! Fine, just shut up!" he quickly untied Nancy's legs and yanked her to her feet. "Go, and if you try and escape I'll shoot your boyfriend in the face."

"I need my hands," Nancy said and swayed against the wall as the feeling rushed back into her legs.

Giamatti growled and led her over to the bathroom; he looked inside to check for any windows or potential weapons and then untied Nancy's arms. She let out a moan as he arms were suddenly flooded with feeling. "Don't take too long. In five minutes I shoot Frank." Giamatti slammed the door in Nancy's face and she staggered over to lean against the bathroom counter.

_Okay Drew, just get your feet under you and think of what to do next,_ she breathed deeply and leaned over the sink to splash water on her clammy face. She gripped the counter as she waited for the majority of the pins and needles in her arms and legs to go away.

Three and a half minutes later and Nancy took a deep breath. She slowly opened the bathroom door, not wanting to startle Giamatti. He immediately rushed over and grabbed her arm in a killer grip. He walked her back over to where she had been sitting before, _'it's now or never'_ Nancy thought to herself. She turned around as if to sit down with her back against the wall, halfway down she propelled herself forward and rammed Giamatti full in the stomach.

The two went crashing backward into Frank's desk and then rolled onto the ground at Frank's feet. Frank and Joe struggled violently with their bonds, trying to get free to help Nancy overpower Giamatti. Nancy straddled Giamatti; both of them struggled to get the gun. Suddenly, the gun went off and Nancy glanced up to see if Joe had been hit, who was sitting directly in the line of fire. She was relieved to see that Joe was fine: angry, but fine.

Giamatti however, took advantage of the momentary distraction to use his considerable strength to push Nancy off of him. He used so much force she was sent rolling into the wall. In the time it took her to stand up Giamatti rushed over to stand behind Frank. He pressed the gun to Frank's temple, panting.

Nancy froze and tried to catch her breath. "You…" Giamatti panted "are the most irritating girl….alive."

Nancy didn't say anything but she continued to breathe heavily and kept her eyes alternating between Giamatti's crazed ones and Frank's concerned ones. "Now," Giamatti continued, "you are going to let me tie you up, without any problems." Nancy nodded silently. "Good," Giamatti yanked up the sleeve of Frank's shirt. "I wouldn't want to put another bullet on top of the scar he got taking a bullet for you five years ago." He sneered.

"Fine, I won't give you any trouble." Nancy wanted desperately for Giamatti to stop pointing that gun at Frank; she would do anything, say anything to get him to take the gun away from his head.

The process of tying her up again was a painful one, punctuated by many shouts and curses from the Hardy brothers. Giamatti gave another vicious yank on the rope tying Nancy's arms and added another slap to her face.

"Giamatti!" Frank roared, "Giamatti!"

Giamatti turned unseeing eyes onto Frank, causing Frank to recall how Nancy had once described his eyes, like a sharks.

"I just wondered something." Frank was relieved to see Giamatti stand and make his way over to stand in front of Frank. "I was just wondering what kind of a man you'd have to be to hit a woman like that. You're obviously not very bright."

Frank was ready for the blow and so braced for it as his head snapped back. Pain exploded in his head, but at least Giamatti was no longer taking his anger out on Nancy.

* * *

"What did Giamatti say?" Fenton asked Chief Collig, who had arrived at the scene shortly after the first police officers had arrived.

"He wants something in return for their safety, but he failed to mention what." Collig turned haggard eyes onto his old friend's face, "there isn't a lot we can do until we get him to agree to terms."

"It's been four hours, something needs to happen soon." Fenton glanced back over at the building that housed his two sons and Nancy.

"What if we turned up the heat?" Fenton murmured to himself.

"How do you mean?" Collig asked.

"Why don't we break the heating system in the building? It's a tactic that has been used in the past with some degree of success. Turn the heat up to an extremely uncomfortable level and the bad guy gets disoriented, makes mistakes."

"But Fenton, he could make the mistake of shooting one of your sons or Ms. Drew."

Fenton nodded his head. He had thought of that possibility which is why, even though he had thought of the idea much earlier, he hadn't voiced it until now. "Look, Frank, Joe and Nancy would want us to do what we could to get them out of there. They're smart, they'll keep their heads. We have to try something."

Collig was silent for a moment before turning to look at Fenton, "I'm assuming you know where the controls for that sort of thing are located?"

Fenton sighed heavily, "Yeah, I know where they are."

* * *

"Why is it so hot?" Giamatti grumbled and pulled at the collar of his shirt.

Frank thought that his father and the police might be behind the current climate change but didn't say anything. He glanced over at his brother who seemed to be thinking hard about something. Frank shifted uncomfortably as much as he could, the ropes biting into his skin.

It had been six hours since Giamatti had walked in the door and so far, nothing had happened. Frank figured he could help his father out and decided to keep Giamatti's mind busy. "I'm curious," Frank began and Nancy glanced over at him, "how did you break out of prison?"

Giamatti stopped his pacing and looked at Frank, a confused expression on his face. He was silent for a moment before answering, "Well, that was all thanks to that backstabbing Krieger," he informed Frank pleasantly.

"Krieger?" Frank asked.

"It seems that you and the American government have consistently underestimated Jonathan Krieger." Giamatti laughed. "The man may have stabbed me in the back, but I do enjoy the pleasure of seeing you're confused faces."

Giamatti leaned back against Joe's desk, the gun lying limply at his side, "I never knew how, but Krieger had connections at the jail. One night, I was sitting in my cell minding my own business. The next moment I was being led outside in the middle of the night, loaded into a car and whisked away. It was really as simple as that." He shrugged and looked at Joe. He slowly raised his hand and pushed Joe's sweaty hair off of his forehead, almost tenderly. Joe's stomach rolled at his touch.

"It's too hot in here!" Giamatti growled in a sudden change of mood. He loosened his tie and removed his jacket, "where is the thermostat?"

"On the wall, next to the door," Frank answered and nodded toward it with his head.

Giamatti went over and started fiddling with the dial. When he was finished the phone rang, "turn the heat off!" he said in way of greeting. He was silent for a moment as he listened to the caller's response, "it's too hot in here, I can't think clearly. Turn the heat off!" the caller's reply obviously didn't please him because he quickly lifted his gun and pointed it at Frank, "you tell Fenton I'm going to give his boy a matching scar on his other arm if he doesn't solve the heat problem in here, NOW!"

**Thank you for reading! Review?**


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I might not get the chance to update tomorrow because it's my dad's birthday but I'll definitely try and update by the day after. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 23**

Giamatti's hand shook as he pointed the gun at Frank and clutched the phone to his ear; sweat poured down his face and soaked his shirt. "Fix the heat problem in here soon, or I shoot Frank." He slammed the phone down and staggered over to lean against the wall.

Joe looked at the clock on the wall, they had been held hostage by this lunatic for six hours. _'That's about six hours too many,'_ he thought angrily to himself. Nancy's attempt to free them had failed and their continued struggle against their bonds had yielded nothing but bloodied wrists and strained shoulders.

'_Think, Hardy!' _he looked around the room hoping to find something, anything that would help them get out of their current situation. While the sudden heat increase had served its purpose by making Giamatti disoriented, it was also making him extremely agitated. It was only a matter of time before he did something to hurt one of them.

Joe's eyes fell on his desk and his mind went back to that morning and the bottle of sleeping pills he had put in his desk drawer. _'That's it!'_ he thought excitedly to himself. If he could only find some way to get Giamatti to take a few of the pills…Joe's mind raced as he tried to figure out how to accomplish this.

While Joe sat thinking of all of the different ways to try and drug Giamatti, the man himself was slowly sliding down the wall with the same vacantly crazy look in his eyes. His eyes darted over to look at Nancy who was slumped uncomfortably against the wall then glanced over at Frank, who was shooting daggers in Giamatti's direction. Giamatti was apparently oblivious to the look however and he said, "So, how does it feel to be in prison?"

Frank, Joe and Nancy remained stubbornly silent but Giamatti didn't seem to notice, "I guess the only thing that's good about this situation is that you guys are suffering in this heat, too." He motioned toward Nancy with his gun, "I mean, look at her, she's barely holding on." Giamatti grinned when Frank quickly turned to look at Nancy. She did look a little tired and fatigued. Sitting on the floor in her uncomfortable position was taking its toll on Nancy and the heat wasn't helping. She struggled to give Frank a reassuring smile, but it didn't last long.

"Look at her! Trying to appear stoic," Giamatti laughed and then continued in a mocking tone, "Don't worry Frank dear! I'm just fine! Even though I can barely form a coherent thought and even though I can no longer feel my limbs!"

Giamatti's giggling reverberated around the room, causing shivers to go down all of their spines. "You're right," Joe piped up, grabbing Giamatti's attention. "Nancy's in a bad way," he ignored the hiss of annoyance from Nancy and continued, "you don't want her to get much worse or you're going to have a severe medical problem on your hands."

"Joe, I'm fine!" Nancy hissed and Joe ignored her.

Giamatti looked at Nancy carefully, weighing his options. He looked doubtful before he chuckled, "doesn't matter to me. Stupid girl tried to take me out, I don't care what happens to her. I don't care what happens to _any_ of you." He glanced down at the gun in his hands and stroked it reverently.

Joe smiled to himself; he had laid the first seed in his plan to get them the hell out of there. He tried to plea for patience silently from his brother and Nancy but was afraid that only Frank understood his look. He and Frank had always been able to understand what the other was saying, with or without words. Nancy still looked confused but he was hopeful she would catch on quickly.

They passed another hour in relative silence, only broken by Giamatti's insane mumbling. "The heat hasn't changed!" he said angrily and thumped his fist on his leg. "The heat level has NOT CHANGED!" he got drunkenly to his feet and staggered over to the phone. He picked it up and yelled loudly about the heat, then hung up. Joe wasn't even sure that he had dialed a number. Now was the time to try and execute his plan.

"Giamatti, why don't you let Nancy get you a drink of water?" Joe suggested innocently.

"I can get my own damn drink of water!" Giamatti said irritably, you could tell he was annoyed he hadn't thought of it before.

"True, but you'd have to go into the other room to get it and there's not telling what we troublesome Hardy brothers could do while you're away." Joe shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. "Be my guest though, I want to get out of here so I can enjoy New Years Eve with my girl."

Joe saw the doubt flash across Giamatti's face, "No," he muttered.

"I'm sure you're very thirsty," Frank added. He wasn't sure what Joe was trying to do, but he wanted to try and keep Giamatti confused so Joe could execute whatever plan he had in mind.

"I can get water myself," Giamatti muttered, almost whining.

"Look at Nancy," Joe added. "She's not going to give you any trouble; she can barely keep her eyes open."

Nancy bristled at this but tried not to show it, whatever Joe was up to, she'd play along. She drooped her head dramatically and sighed hugely, she doubted the brothers would believe her act, but maybe Giamatti would.

Giamatti looked at Nancy and then at the kitchen, then back at Nancy. "I am thirsty."

"Water would certainly help with the heat," Frank said casually.

"Certainly would, Frank" Joe added conversationally.

Giamatti pulled at the collar of his shirt and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He licked his lips and let out a small breath, "fine, fine. We're doing this my way. I'll untie you Nancy and you'll go into the kitchen and grab me a glass of ice water." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and added hastily, "and I'll stand in the doorway to keep my eyes on all of you." He sucked in a deep breath, "and if you try anything, anything at all, you know what will happen. I won't be shooting to scar this time, I'll be shooting to kill. Do you understand?" when Nancy didn't reply right away he screamed, "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she replied weakly, "yes, I understand."

Giamatti walked across the room and began untying Nancy, his fingers fumbling across the knots. When he was finished Nancy had to grip the wall for support as she slowly struggled to stand up. She didn't have to act this time, her head was spinning and her legs and arms were screaming in protest at every movement.

She turned slowly, gripping the wall and made her way to the kitchen door. She was about to walk through it when Joe's voice stopped her, "Wait!" Joe called.

"What is it now?" Giamatti growled, he was obviously very stressed out. Joe just hoped that the next part of his plan didn't send him over a very dangerous ledge.

"I…I need to take my pills." Joe said simply.

"What? What pills?" Giamatti whipped his head back and forth between Joe and Nancy, completely missing Frank's confused look.

Frank quickly recovered and piped up, "Joe needs to take them or he'll get really sick."

"What do I care? I want you to _suffer!_ What part of that don't you guys understand? Go get my water!" He pointed at Nancy but she hesitated in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I won't suffer, Giamatti. It's not that kind of sickness. I just need my pills. It won't make any difference if Nancy does this for me or not." Joe shrugged but held his breath; hopefully the disoriented Giamatti would go for his plan.

"FINE!" he yelled and pressed his hands to his head, "there is too much talking going on!" he pointed his gun at Nancy, "get the damn pills and get me some WATER!"

"Um, where are they?" she asked Joe.

"In my desk drawer," Joe replied. Nancy staggered over and pulled open the drawer, making her head very close to Joe's. "Read the label." He muttered and saw Nancy nod imperceptibly before straightening up, the bottle of pills in her hand. She walked across the room toward the kitchen, Giamatti eyeing her warily. He stood in the doorway as she walked over to the kitchen counter and quickly read the label of the pills before she set them down. _'Sleeping pills? Strong ones, at that,' _she thought to herself, _'good thinking, Joe!'_ She glanced quickly behind her and saw Giamatti shake his head, as if trying to clear it.

"Hurry up!" he pressed a hand to his forehead and held it there for a few moments.

"I'm trying" Nancy responded and she looked around for something to smash the pills up with. She opened the bottle and poured a bunch of them into her hands, clutching them tightly she reached up into the cupboard and grabbed two glasses. Using her body as a shield to cover what she was doing and as quietly as possible she started to use the heavy glass cup to crush up the pills.

"What's taking so long?" Giamatti called from his place in the doorway.

"I'm um…having a hard time opening the pill bottle," she lied quickly.

'Well, hurry up!"

Nancy didn't respond as she quickly brushed the fine powder into one of the cups. She picked them up and carried them to the sink, filling them with water. She was watching so intently to see if the powder was dissolving she jumped when Giamatti barked out, "remember the ice!"

"Yeah, yeah…" she responded in a distracted voice. The pills were dissolving! Maybe Joe's plan would work after all and they'd all be out of here soon.

She set the cups on the counter and walked over to the freezer, grabbing out a few pieces of ice and placing them in the cup with the sleeping pills, leaving the cup for Joe without ice. She shoved the bottle of pills in her pocket and quickly walked past Giamatti and out into the main office holding the glasses of water.

"Set my water on the desk," Giamatti indicated Frank's desk and Nancy placed the ice water there. "Get him his pills and then sit down with your back against the wall."

Nancy went over to Joe and put the water down on the desk and reached into her pocket for the pills. '_How am I going to give him a sleeping pill without actually giving him a sleeping pill?'_ she thought to herself.

She looked at Joe for help but he only nodded, "I need that pill, Nancy."

Nancy sighed, he obviously had a plan in mind so she opened the bottle and shook out one of the remaining pills. He opened his mouth and she placed it inside then grabbed the water off the table. He took two huge gulps before she took the water away, "thanks," he said breathlessly and winked at her.

"Alright, now go sit against the wall." Giamatti ordered and waved his gun at Nancy. She walked slowly to the wall and lowered herself down to a sitting position. With his gun trained on Nancy, Giamatti reached down and grabbed the ice water off Frank's desk. With his eyes on Nancy he downed half the contents of the glass.

"Ah!" he exclaimed and brought the cup away from his lips. "Very refreshing, although you guys should seriously consider getting a filter put in, the water tastes a little tinny." A look of comprehension dawned on Frank's face and you could tell he was struggling not to smile.

"Now, let's get you restrained." He leered at Nancy. Once again, Nancy's arms were tied tightly behind her back and her legs were tied together. Nancy noticed that Giamatti fumbled with the ropes and tied them clumsily, so clumsily that if she really worked at them she'd probably be able to break free.

Giamatti swayed in his crouched position in front of Nancy and stared at her through unseeing eyes. He lifted one of his hands and ran it down her cheek, "so pretty." He murmured. "What a shame, what a waste that you're so irritating." He shook his head regretfully and stood up carefully. He walked back to his cup of water and drained the contents, "you were right young Joseph. That was rather refreshing." He grinned widely and then flung himself into Fenton's desk chair. "I feel so light."

When Giamatti wasn't looking Joe quietly spit the pill he had tucked into his cheek out under his desk. He watched as Giamatti started swiveling around in the chair and singing happily to himself, _'how many pills did Nancy give him?'_ Joe smiled as he watched Giamatti try and see his own tongue, going cross-eyed in the process.

The phone started ringing and Giamatti reached in slow motion to answer, "Hello? Mom? Is that you? Mom, can I puh-leeze go over to Jeremy's house? He has the coolest…..toys." Giamatti held the phone away from his face and looked at it in confusion. "Why?" his voice trailed off and he set the phone down on the desk without hanging it up.

"I really hate you kids, you know that?" he said conversationally to Frank, Joe and Nancy. "I mean, you're so meddlesome. Always getting in the way and thinking you know everything. Look at you! You obviously don't….know…anything." he said slowly. Suddenly he gestured wildly with the gun, "You're all tied up now!" he sang in a made up tune. "All tied up with no place to goooooo." He looked at the gun in his hand and his eyes crossed, "I still have bullets left. Don't wanna waste these bullets."

Joe watched in horror as Giamatti's gaze shifted from Frank, then to Nancy and finally rested on him. "Who wants these bullets?" Giamatti drawled, almost incoherently. "Whowantsem?" he slurred the words together.

"Giamatti…" Frank tried to get his attention off of his brother. Giamatti was staring with a sort of odd fascination at Joe as he slowly lifted the gun to point it in Joe's direction.

"You're the worst one of the bunch, aren't you? With your little funny quips and your cute fiancé" Joe bristled at the mention of Vanessa. "You think you're indestructible. You think you can't ever be hurt, well I have news for you young Hardy boy…you _can_ be hurt." He bobbled his head frantically. "You reallyreallyreally can be! I can be the one to do it, too! I can! I could hurt you! I'll show that Krieger. I'll show 'im"

Joe watched in horror as Giamatti slowly lifted the gun while Frank and Nancy both cried out, trying to get Giamatti's attention away from Joe. Giamatti's eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped forward onto the desk, but not before he squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Outside Fenton glanced down at the display on his phone as it rang shrilly. With a grimace he flipped it open, "hello?"

"Fenton? I'm sorry to bother you, but is Joe around? I know it's weird to worry so much and I must sound totally crazy…but I haven't heard from him all day and he's not answering his cell phone and for some reason I can't get through on the office phone." It was Vanessa and Fenton could tell she was trying to keep herself sounding calm, "It's just…it's Joe, you know? Usually when I don't hear from him it means something is horribly wrong." Vanessa knew she was babbling but she couldn't help it.

"Vanessa," Fenton started and hated that he had to deliver the news. He told her about the situation, careful to try and make it sound not as bad as it was.

"I'm coming down there," she said calmly.

Fenton sighed, he had already had to talk Laura out of coming down to the office and he knew he'd have just as hard a time convincing Vanessa of the same thing. "Vanessa, you really shouldn't…"

"No way, I'm coming down there. I'm sorry Fenton, but it's Joe." She said goodbye and Fenton groaned as he listened to the dial tone. He turned his attention back to staring at the front of his office building.

Nothing had happened in quite some time, "what's going on in there?" he whispered. As each minute passed his concern for his sons only increased. Ten minutes later he heard a commotion behind him and saw that Vanessa had arrived. He made his way quickly over and was stunned to see Laura standing beside Vanessa behind the police line.

"What are you doing here?" Fenton asked surprised.

"I figured you had told her to stay at home too," Vanessa shrugged, "I picked her up on my way here."

"They're my sons Fenton, and Nancy is in there. I have to be here." Laura looked imploringly at her husband, willing him to understand. Finally he sighed and pulled his wife into his arms.

"It's okay. We've raised strong boys; they've gotten out of worse situations. They'll be fine." He murmured into her hair. They broke apart quickly and Vanessa gasped as a gunshot rang out from inside the offices of _Hardy and Sons Investigations._

* * *

**I don't have **_**any **_**idea if the sleeping pill thing would have worked and in that way…but it was a good way of getting them the heck out of there! Anyway, I liked it and I hope those of you who actually know how that sort of thing works will allow me a little creative license. :) **


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: This chapter isn't as long as normal, so I'm sorry…but MAN I was unmotivated! I promise to do better next time! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the reviews. I really appreciate them all. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 24**

Joe winced at the sound of the gunshot as the bullet whizzed past his head to imbed itself in the wall behind him. He craned his head painfully to get a look at the bullet and then turned to face his brother. He smiled, "close call."

Frank let out a shaky laugh, "very close call," he agreed and looked over at Giamatti who lay drooling on his father's desk. He then turned to look at Nancy and smiled at her, "you okay?" he asked.

"I'm great, just wonderful," she replied as she yanked on the ropes holding her. "He did a pretty messy job of tying these; maybe I can get myself out."

"What did you guys put in his drink?" Frank asked as he watched Nancy struggle. He turned at the sound of his brother's laugh.

"Sleeping pills and by the look of it, a lot of them; how many did you use, Nancy?" Joe grinned and Nancy paused in her struggle with the ropes.

"I don't know! I just grabbed a handful, I wanted it to work!"

"A handful?" Joe glanced at Giamatti, "he's probably going to need medical attention." He shrugged and didn't look all that concerned. "Are you going to get us out of here, Nancy or am I going to have to do everything around here?" Joe asked her teasingly.

"I'm _trying_," Nancy grunted and felt the ropes around her arms loosen. She gave another mighty tug on her arms and felt her arms scream from the exertion, but the ropes seemed to be slipping.

"I think you've almost got it," Frank cried, "just one more, I think."

"You think?" Nancy grunted as she strained, "Yeah, I think so too but it's easier said than done."

Frank smiled and felt himself relax marginally. If Nancy was making jokes then she was probably okay. Still, he wouldn't feel better until he had her in his arms and could see her face up close; inspect the bruises that Giamatti had put there.

"There!" Nancy cried triumphantly, "I've got them, I think," her face was screwed up in concentration as she wiggled her wrists. She felt one of the ropes rub her already raw wrists and winced, "ouch, that hurts a little." Finally, she felt the ropes slide off of her arms and she brought them around in front of her. She reached down and began untying her legs. "You know, it can't be good to have the blood in your major extremities cut off then brought back, then cut off again multiple times in a matter of hours."

"Probably not," Joe agreed with a nod. Nancy stood and swayed slightly before going over to work on Frank's ropes. "Sure, work on your boyfriend's ropes first. I see how it is."

"Frank is closer, Joe," Nancy mumbled from behind Frank's chair.

"Well, that…and she likes me more," Frank supplied.

"Are we seriously joking right now? We've just been through a major hostage situation for close to seven hours." Nancy pursed her lips as she inspected the ropes holding Frank's wrists, "Wow, I'm a better knot tier than I give myself credit for."

"You can't untie your own knots?" Joe rolled his eyes, "you know, you could just go to the front door and call for help. I'm sure there are a couple dozen police officers out there with pocket knives you could use."

Nancy smiled, they had just been through a tough situation but leave it to Joe to make everyone smile again. It wasn't a case with the Hardy brothers without a little laughter after the stress.

"There are scissors in my desk drawer, Nancy." Frank supplied helpfully a few minutes later.

"No! I can undo my own knots. Here we go!" she cried and finally unwound the ropes from around his wrists. "Get your legs, I'll work on Joe."

She walked over to Joe and after a few more minutes of struggling undid his hands. Joe reached down and started working at the rope encircling his legs and Nancy straightened to see Frank rubbing at his sore wrists and standing to stretch his cramped body.

They looked at each other and smiled. Nancy walked over to stand in front of Frank and then just threw her arms around him in a huge hug, "I am so glad you're okay," she whispered.

"I'm glad you're okay, too." Frank replied and held on.

Joe walked over to the front door and pulled it open, careful not to move very fast. He didn't want to be mistaken for Giamatti, "hey! It's Joe Hardy. Giamatti's out cold, you guys can um…come in." he finished lamely "I'm coming out now!" he slowly walked outside and was temporarily blinded by the setting winter sun, "whoa," he muttered and flung his arm up to shield his eyes. He waited for them to adjust to the sudden change in light and then scanned the crowd in front of him.

A group of police officers and FBI personnel stormed into the front door behind him and he glanced back to see Nancy and Frank walking down the steps to join him. "Joe!" the voice had Joe turning his head back around to find the source.

His mother, father and Vanessa came rushing up to them. Vanessa embraced Joe in a fierce hug while Fenton hugged Frank and Laura hugged Nancy, "are you guys alright?" Fenton asked and held Frank at arms length to inspect him himself.

"A few cuts and bruises, but otherwise just fine," Frank replied. Laura broke away from Nancy and gave her two sons hugs.

"Oh, I was so worried," she kissed Joe's cheek and then turned to give Frank yet another hug and a kiss of his own.

Joe pulled Vanessa snugly into his side and wrapped his arm around her. She wrapped both of her arms around Joe's waist and laid her head on his shoulder. Joe laid a kiss on the top of her head and then rested his head on top of hers. He sighed, this was contentment.

An FBI official and a uniformed police officer that turned out to be Con Riley joined the bunch. The FBI official spoke in abrupt words, "we're going to need to take your statements." He turned to Nancy, "Agent Drew, you'll need to report to Agent Burr."

Con smiled at the Hardy's, "I'm glad to see you're okay. We'll be taking your statements down at the station."

"Thanks Con," Fenton clasped the man's shoulder. Con Riley was an exceptional policeman and had helped Fenton remain calm while his son's future had hung in the balance, he would always be grateful for that.

* * *

"I can't believe it's almost midnight," Nancy murmured and laid her head on Frank's shoulder. "It's almost the New Year," she and Frank along with Vanessa, Laura and Fenton were waiting for Joe to finish giving his statement before finally heading home.

Frank and Nancy had finished up not that long ago and had joined his parents and Vanessa in the waiting room of the police station. "We still have to worry about Krieger," Frank mumbled tiredly.

"Not tonight, we don't," Nancy yawned hugely and settled her head more securely on Frank's shoulder. Frank smiled and lifted his arm so Nancy could lay her head on his chest. She sighed in contentment as the steady rhythm of Frank's heart started to lull her into sleep.

The sound of Vanessa's excited voice had Nancy lifting her head to glance down the hallway, "Joe!" Vanessa cried and got up from her chair to go to him.

"Hey, I'm tired." Joe yawned hugely and looked around at everyone, holding Vanessa's hand tightly. "Who knew that sitting around doing nothing could take so much out of you?"

Chief Collig came out of the interrogation room with the FBI agent from earlier and the two approached the group, "thank you guys for coming down here, if we need anything else we'll give you a call."

"You know where to find us," Joe said on a yawn.

"What about Giamatti?" Frank asked.

"The doctor's are examining him, seems he had a little too much sleeping pill," Collig smiled, "which was a pretty sneaky way of getting out of there." The FBI agent remained stony faced next to the Chief, obviously not enjoying being there.

"It was a pretty anti-climatic way of getting out of there, actually." Joe said smiling.

Collig was about to answer when the FBI agent cleared his throat and stepped forward, "everything else is strictly need-to-know. Thank you for your time." With that he turned on his heel and left the building.

"Well," Laura huffed, "those agency types aren't very friendly." She looked at Frank's amused expression and quickly clarified, "oh, all of them except for you, Nancy."

"Don't worry about it; I can get like that too." Nancy smiled and stifled another huge yawn.

"Looks like we could all use our beds," Fenton announced, "I think it would be a good idea if you call came over to the house and slept over."

"Dad, Giamatti is sick and heavily guarded in the hospital," Joe pointed out.

"And what about Krieger?" Fenton pointed out.

"Oh yeah, Krieger." Joe groaned, "There's still another one?"

Laura looked at her sons and knew that they were about to refuse the invitation. She stepped in quickly, "its New Year's Eve! You didn't get the chance to celebrate it in the traditional way, so why don't you all come over and I'll cook up a nice big breakfast for everyone in the morning." She looked at her watch, "if we get going now we might be home in time to watch the ball drop in Times Square."

With a few protests from her boys, Laura finally managed to get them to agree and everyone trooped outside. They walked into the Hardy home at 11:49, with eleven minutes left until midnight. "Mom, you have popcorn right?" Joe asked as they all walked into the living room.

"You want popcorn?" Frank asked.

"Hey, it's kind of a tradition. We had it last year." Joe shrugged.

"Yes honey, I have popcorn." Joe smiled and ducked into the kitchen to make his snack.

Frank and Nancy sat down on the couch while Fenton flipped on the TV and Vanessa curled up on the love seat. As the newest tween star crooned about unrequited love and heartache, Laura went to the kitchen to help her son and grab everyone drinks.

Nancy murmured a thank you when Laura handed her a drink before she turned to Frank and handed him the same. Frank draped his arm across Nancy's shoulders and pulled her close, "this is nice."

"Yeah," she agreed and watch Joe plop himself down on the couch next to Vanessa with his bowl of popcorn. She smiled when Joe reached down for Vanessa's left hand and grinned at the ring on her finger.

"Still…" Frank murmured and his voice trailed off.

Nancy tore her eyes away from the touching scene to look up at Frank as he took a slow sip of his drink, "…you feel like we should be doing something, something other than watching the ball drop in Times Square."

It sure was nice to be totally understood, Frank thought to himself and looked down at Nancy, his face grim, "yeah."

Nancy sighed, "I know. We can't fully relax until Krieger is caught too. If Giamatti was crazy, then Krieger is worse."

"Well, let's try and not think about it right now. Right now, we're all safe and whole and as much as I tried to fight it, it's good that we're all here together tonight."

"Hey you two, I know you're talking about the case. Why don't you let it go for a minute, the ball is about to drop and the case will still be there at 12:01," Joe called from his place on the love seat.

Nancy and Frank exchanged sheepish grins before turning to watch the countdown begin in Times Square. The group began to chant along with the millions as time slowly ticked by, "10…9…8…" Laura clapped her hands together as the countdown continued, "3…2…1!" they all cheered as they watched confetti fly through the air of Times Square.

Joe leaped up off the couch and dragged Vanessa up after him, "come here fiancé of mine and give me a kiss!" Vanessa giggled as she wrapped her arms around Joe's neck.

Fenton and Laura stood up too and gave each other a tender kiss and then embraced.

"Your parents are so…" Nancy's voice trailed off when she realized Frank was staring at her. "What?"

"She says, 'what'," he laughed and pulled Nancy's face to his for a kiss of his own. He pulled away, "that's what. Happy New Year, Nancy."

Nancy smiled, "Happy New Year, Frank."

A few minutes later, with the dishes in the dishwasher the group waved goodnight to Fenton and Laura as they turned to go upstairs to their bedrooms. Nancy could hear Laura and Fenton's bedroom door close downstairs after the light in the living room turned off. She yawned and said goodnight to Joe and Vanessa and watched them duck into his old bedroom. She walked into the guest bedroom and slowly started to pull out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt.

She needed to take a shower, but the idea of going through all that effort was daunting. Promising herself she'd take one first thing in the morning she started to brush her hair, staring out the window in the guest bedroom. She was so zoned out that the small cough in the doorway had her whirling around brandishing the brush like a weapon.

"Frank!" she cried and lowered the brush, "you scared me."

"I can see that," he smiled and leaned against the door jamb. Nancy swallowed as she took in his worn in red flannel pajama bottoms and gray t-shirt. How could ratty clothes he probably hadn't worn since high school be so attractive?

"Well, um…good night." Nancy walked over quickly and gave Frank a quick peck on the lips. She laughed as he pulled her back toward him for a longer kiss. "Frank, your parents are downstairs and we're both exhausted. We've been through _a lot_ the last couple of days." Nancy started ticking it all off on her fingers, "tied up and beaten in my apartment, almost getting smoked to death in a fiery warehouse, emotional trauma over seeing your car getting blown up and finally, my personal favorite, being held hostage by a raving lunatic for seven hours. Am I missing anything?"

Frank threw his head back and laughed. Then he paused to think before saying, "Don't forget _your _emotional trauma over feeling guilty about Ned."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me." Nancy ticked it off on her fingers, "and my emotional trauma over being the cause that my ex-boyfriend from 5 years ago was beaten in a New York alley," she added.

Frank shook his head, "Nancy Drew, you are incredible."

"No, I'm right." Nancy smiled.

"Incredible and right," Frank amended. "We should get some sleep," he kissed the tip of her nose, "good night," he said and left the room. Nancy stood where she was for a moment before she quietly tip toed down the hall to Frank's room.

Frank was standing next to his bed when she opened the door and slipped inside, "Nancy?"

"Am I disrespecting your parents right now?"

Frank frowned before catching her meaning, "No, Vanessa and Joe are in his room together."

Nancy scoffed, "yeah, they're _engaged_, Hardy."

"True," Frank agreed.

"I'm not here to…you know…do that." Nancy trailed off at a loss for words.

"I understand," Frank nodded solemnly, trying not to smile.

"I just…well, what? Why are you smiling?" Nancy demanded with her hands on her hips.

"No reason, you're just so darn cute when you're all flustered and mad like that."

"I'm not flustered! And I'm not mad!" Nancy cried, "I'm just saying that I would like to be near you tonight. It's the beginning of a new year and it's been a long day but if you're too busy making fun of me then I'll just go back to my own room." She spoke very quickly and turned to open his bedroom door.

"Nancy," Frank said and stopped her by grabbing her hand. He drew her across the room with him, "I wasn't making fun of you. Let's get some sleep."

Nancy sighed, "Greatest idea I've heard all day."

* * *


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I'm going to try and update again tomorrow because I'm going out of town on a business thing this weekend and so I won't get the chance to update again until _maybe _Sunday night. So, there might be an update tomorrow but if there isn't, I made this chapter super long to make up for it, in advance. :)

Anyway, I wish I had time to post individual replies to your GREAT reviews and I promise I will next time...but thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to review! I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 25**

The next morning, Nancy rolled onto her back and stretched as she slowly woke up. With her eyes still closed she stiffened when she felt the arm draped across her stomach, _'Where am I? What did I do?'_ she thought in a half awake, half asleep panic.

"Do you always wake up like that?" a voice mumbled too close to her ear for comfort.

She opened her eyes and turned to stare at the source of the voice, it was Frank. She sighed a little in relief as she took in her surroundings and the night before came back to her. She was sleeping in Frank's bed, which had been her choice and that's all they had done, sleep. On a quiet breath she said, "Wake up like what?"

"Ready to go and slightly panicked," Frank murmured and nestled further into his pillow.

"No I just, couldn't quite remember where I was for a second." Nancy turned on her side to face Frank who still had his eyes stubbornly closed.

"I'm that memorable, huh? Good thing I don't have a large ego or you would have just killed it." Frank smiled when he felt Nancy lean over and kiss him on the cheek, "I think you missed," he teased, cracking open one eye. Nancy was laughing as Frank reached over to kiss her on the lips, "there, much better." He pulled her closer into his arms and sighed, "good morning."

"Good morning to you too," she replied and laid her head on his chest.

The door opened and Nancy lifted her head to see who it was and of course, it was Joe. "Come on you two, breakfast is ready."

"Leave," Frank muttered, not even bothering to lift his head.

"You're grouchy this morning." Joe commented, "I wonder why that is…" he laughed loudly as Frank grabbed his pillow and threw it in the general direction of the door. Instead, the pillow hit the bookshelf and they could hear Joe laughing all the way down the stairs.

Frank laid his head back down but without a pillow his head was bent at an uncomfortable angle, "I should have thought this through," he murmured, "here, let's share yours," he reached over to pull the pillow closer to him but Nancy stopped him.

"No, we've got to get up," to prove her point Nancy turned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Your mom made us a nice breakfast and it would be rude not to go down and enjoy it while it's hot."

Frank groaned but moved to the other edge of the bed and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face and the stubble that was there.

"Come on Frank," Nancy called from the doorway.

"What? No motivating kiss? I'd think that my gentlemanly restraint from last night ought to earn me a little kiss." Frank's eyes danced as he watched Nancy laugh.

"Gentlemanly restraint?" she laughed, "you were asleep before your head hit the pillow last night. I'd say that _you _owe _me _for not taking advantage of you in your comatose state," and with that she waltzed out of the bedroom, leaving Frank shaking his head and smiling to himself.

Nancy walked into the kitchen to the wonderful mixture of breakfast smells. She groaned in appreciation when Joe just smiled at her and handed her a cup of coffee, "thank you." She took the first invigorating sip and smiled.

Joe took a sip of his own coffee as they all went out to sit around the dining room table. Everyone looked up as Frank trudged down the stairs and yawned hugely. "Hey, where's my coffee?" he grumbled, eyeing everyone's mugs.

"In the kitchen, sleepyhead," Joe replied. Frank shuffled off and came back a minute later with a cup of coffee and took a seat next to Nancy. "This looks great, Mom." He sniffed appreciatively at the table full of food in front of him, "I haven't eaten this good since the last time I had a meal at your house."

"It's true, it looks delicious." Nancy smiled at Laura and Laura smiled back.

"Well, it's not meant to just look delicious. Everyone, dig in!" Laura declared and reached for the eggs.

There was silence around the table for a few minutes while everyone ate their eggs, bacon, hash browns and other various breakfast products. A timer went off and Laura excused herself to the kitchen. She came back a few moments later with a plate of homemade cinnamon rolls.

"Oh man," Joe groaned and reached enthusiastically for a roll. "I can't believe you made homemade cinnamon rolls!" He moaned dramatically after taking the first bite.

"It's not every day I have both my boys and their girls over for breakfast," Laura replied and looked absolutely pleased. Fenton smiled at her and grabbed her hand that rested on the table.

"You're awfully chipper this morning, Joe." Fenton smiled at his youngest son, "in fact, it looks like we've had a bit of a role reversal. Joe's usually the grumpy Not A Morning Person brother and Frank is usually the one ready to go."

"I guess I just slept really well last night," Joe grinned widely. His smirk at Vanessa and her reddening face were missed by Laura and Fenton but not by Nancy and Frank. Joe turned to his brother, "what's your excuse big bro?"

"I slept really well. A little _too_ well, I guess," he smiled at Nancy who smiled back and took a careless bite of her eggs.

"You did snore," she shrugged, "studies say that snoring is a sign of the deepest of sleeps."

Frank snorted into his coffee, "studies say…" he mumbled.

Fenton and Laura exchanged a glance, they were not as oblivious as their children liked to believe. Fenton raised an eyebrow at his wife and Laura nodded, she understood completely and wasn't that just the cutest thing? Her son and Nancy, simply sleeping together for comfort?

"So, boys what's your plan for today?" Fenton asked and turned to face his two sons.

"I was thinking I'd watch a little TV, relax, and maybe catch an afternoon nap." Joe yawned and gave Vanessa a little wink.

Fenton narrowed his eyes at his son, "think again."

Frank smiled, "I guess we'll be going into the office, that is…if they'll let us into the office, seeing that it's the scene of a crime. Then we'll see if we can get in to see Giamatti, find out what he can tell us. Maybe Nancy can get us some information from the FBI."

"That's our Frank! Frustrated, but still sharp as an ax," Joe said, flourishing his fork dramatically.

"I think the saying is, 'sharp as a tack,' Joe," Frank rolled his eyes.

"You say tomato I say tahmato," Joe shrugged.

Nancy cleared her throat to disguise a laugh, "maybe Giamatti is feeling so betrayed he'd be willing to tattle on his former partner. I'm sure the bureau has people on it right now."

"Sounds good," Fenton nodded.

"What are you going to be doing today, Dad?" Joe asked.

"Owner of the business privileges, I won't be coming in today." Fenton shared a smile with his wife. His children weren't the only ones interested in taking afternoon naps.

* * *

Nancy stood in the bathroom an hour later after taking a much needed and relaxing shower. She flipped her head over to towel dry her hair for a few minutes. Standing up straight again she looked at her face in the slowly de-fogging bathroom mirror. She pushed her hair up off her forehead to inspect the bruise running along her temple; it was already going the sickly colors of healing around the edges. She took stock of her other cuts and bruises, grimacing at a particularly nasty one under her shirt on her abdomen. _'Well, at least I look well rested,'_ she thought to herself and leaned forward to inspect a cut along her hairline.

She looked behind her in the mirror and saw Frank standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. She couldn't quite read his expression; "hi" she said and focused her gaze back on the cut. She prodded at it a few more times before leaning back from the mirror. Looking at Frank again she turned to face him and leaned against the bathroom counter, "what?" she asked.

"Nothing," Frank pushed himself up off the doorjamb and came to stand in front of her. He pushed her hair back himself and took a look at the bruises and the cuts. "Does it hurt?" he asked slowly.

Nancy could see the guilt and anger swimming in Frank's eyes, "no," she replied. It was partly true, the cuts and bruises on her face didn't trouble her nearly as much as her aching ribs did.

"You're hurting," he said simply.

"So are you," she replied and ducked out from between him and the bathroom counter. She hung her used towel up on the towel bar and turned to face him again.

"Still…" Frank began but Nancy held up a hand.

"Don't start with that 'I couldn't protect you' line. I can handle myself and we were all pretty incapacitated," she huffed.

"I won't, because that's not what I was going to say. You think you have me all figured out, don't you Drew?" he leaned against the bathroom counter and crossed his arms, staring at her. "What I was going to say was, even with it all you still look beautiful."

Nancy stood staring at Frank for a moment, "well," she sighed, "there's the wind, there's the sail and there it is getting sucked right out," she said motioning with her hands and Frank just smiled at her, "okay, you don't have to _smirk_ about it."

"I'm not smirking," Frank shrugged. They stood staring at each other for a few moments, "are you going to come over here, or what?"

Nancy laughed as she moved into his arms, "you are impossible."

"Impossibly manly? Impossibly amazing? A doer of the impossible? Impossibly great? I'm going to need you to clarify." Frank was laughing when Nancy brought her lips up to silence his.

* * *

It turned out that they couldn't get into the office to work and so decided to base their operations in Joe's apartment for the day. Nancy wandered in off the back deck from where she had been talking to Michael. Joe and Frank sat huddled around Frank's laptop going over police records.

"How did you guys get those?" Nancy asked, looking over their shoulders.

Joe clapped his hand on Frank's shoulder and smiled, "our Wonder Boy Frank here. He hacked into the police database."

"I'm no Phil Cohen, but I can get by," Frank said modestly.

"How often do you guys do this?" Nancy asked with a smile.

"Er, often enough," Joe hedged and glanced up at Nancy, "it takes less time than begging Con for a favor."

"I see," Nancy nodded her head and continued smiling.

"We'll try the FBI database next," Frank murmured as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "Sometimes I get lucky and hit it on a good day."

"Is that so?" Nancy said and Joe looked back over his shoulder at her. He tapped Frank's shoulder until he got his attention and then pointed at the smiling Nancy.

"What?" Frank asked, "Why are you smiling like that?"

"No reason, I just didn't know you boys preferred to take the hard route," she walked around the couch and took a seat in the recliner.

"What do you mean?" Joe's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I just got off the phone with Michael, you remember Michael right? He's my partner…whom I work with at the _FBI_," she stressed the last part of her sentence and stared at the brothers in turn.

"Yeah…" Frank replied and his voice trailed off.

Nancy laughed, "you don't have to hack into any databases, you have a bona fide FBI agent sitting right here!"

Joe rubbed his chin, "oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'," Nancy said on a laugh and then leaned forward, "Michael is eager to get his partner back so he passed some information along to me."

"What did he say?" Frank asked.

"Well, he said that Giamatti is currently still in counting sheep mode," at Joe's snort she smiled, "and no, not because I gave him so many sleeping pills he's _still_ asleep. He's sleeping because his body needs to recover from all of the stomach pumping they had to do." Nancy brushed her hair back, a look of total unconcern on her face, "anyway, they did find a few things in Giamatti's pockets."

"And?" Joe prompted when she didn't continue, "at the rate you're moving Drew, it would be faster to hack into the FBI database."

Nancy let out a long suffering sigh, "haven't you ever heard of dramatic effect?" she batted her eyelashes at him and continued, "They found additional ammo, a couple of cigars, a lighter, his wallet and a business card."

At the way Nancy said 'business card' Frank paused, "what was on the business card?"

"A website address," Nancy leaned back in her chair and smirked.

"Sometime today, Nan!" Joe cried in frustration, "What's the address for?"

"They haven't figured it out yet, but our top analysts are working on it. I say we try and figure it out first," she leaned forward. "Type this in," she instructed Frank.

Frank looked down at the web address he had entered into the URL box and read it out loud, "www dot jke dot com?" he looked at Nancy, "this isn't going to wreck my computer, is it?"

Nancy shrugged, "it hasn't wrecked the ones at the bureau."

"Okay, here it goes," Frank hit enter and waited for the website to load. A dialogue box opened, prompting him to enter a username and password, he looked at Nancy.

"The username is 'jkecrew' and the password is 'amazing'." Nancy shook her head as Joe laughed, "I know, it's ridiculous."

Frank entered in the combination and frowned at the completely white screen in front of him. "What?" he looked down at the status bar, the site was supposedly finished downloading.

"Scroll down," Nancy instructed and Frank did so. "Now right click at the very bottom somewhere in the middle and click, 'select all'."

Frank did this and then smiled, "it says, "Sign in Here followed by a box where you enter some sort of code."

"That's where the FBI is stuck as of right now. I think for a man of your computer hacking skills Frank, you should be able to beat them to it." Nancy smiled widely at Frank's stumped expression.

"I guess," he muttered, already thinking of how he was going to do this. "If the FBI already got this far it's only a matter of time before they get in." he pointed out.

"Well, they've been working on this since yesterday and I'm sorry, but a username so similar to the website address and a password like 'amazing'? It wasn't that hard for the FBI hackers to get through that." Nancy scoffed.

"What's with the address anyway? What does JKE mean?" Joe asked. "Just Kidding Experts? Jerry Knows Everything?"

"While Frank is working his magic over there, let's try and figure it out," Nancy suggested and got out a pen and paper and started writing down all of the possibilities.

A half hour later and Frank was still stumped and Joe and Nancy were just as stuck. Vanessa wandered in from the other room and sat on the couch arm to look at what Joe and Nancy were working on, "what's up?" she asked.

Joe sighed in frustration, "we're trying to figure out what this could stand for," Joe pointed at the three letters and Vanessa pursed her lips in concentration.

"J, K, E…" she murmured, "the other guy, what was his name? Jonathan Krieger? Could that be his initials or something?" she asked. When Nancy and Joe remained silent and stared at each other before staring at Vanessa, she flushed. "Sorry, you guys probably already thought of that. I should just leave the detecting work to the pros."

"No! No, Vanessa…baby, you're a genius!" Joe jumped up and gave her a big hug. "I mean, Jonathan Krieger E-something, it has to be that!"

"Jonathan Krieger….Enterprises," Nancy said and her eyes lit up. "It's so corny, but the man is so egotistical it works perfectly."

"So that means the user name is 'Jonathan Krieger Enterprises Crew? Wow, that's lame. The JKE Crew, it sounds like a street gang," Joe laughed, "And the password is 'amazing'. I guess that fits with the egotist vibes."

"I'm glad you guys are making breakthroughs over there but could you try not to sound so excited? I'm hitting one wall after another." Frank complained.

"Haven't figured out the code yet, love bug?" Nancy asked sweetly.

Frank growled at the silly nick name, "No, I figured that code out twenty minutes ago. It's the fourth code I'm having problems with."

"What?" Nancy stood up and looked at the computer screen, "you've hacked through three of the codes already? Frank, you should have gone to MIT."

"Oh, they wanted him," Joe piped up and continued in a teasing tone, "but Frank felt he had other, bigger and better things to achieve in life."

"I just wanted to go to college and work on the skills I didn't have," Frank replied in a voice that suggested he had explained this already many times, "I figured I should pay to learn new skills, not pay to learn skills I already had," he paused. "Wow, and that sounds really egotistical."

"It's okay, I understand what you're trying to say, love bug," Nancy smiled reassuringly at him and Frank groaned.

"Love bug…sheesh," Frank muttered and shook his head, his fingers continuing to fly across the keyboard.

An hour later and Frank still hadn't made it past the fourth code, "knowing how obsessed this guy is with us the code could have something to do with one of the three of us." Joe suggested.

"I've already tried all sorts of combinations. I've tried all of our birthdays, our initials, our names and all of the combinations and variations," Frank ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Well, we know the FBI hasn't made it very far yet. Michael said he'd call me when they figured it out," Nancy stood and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

"Hey Nan, grab me a Coke while you're in there," Joe called. Nancy grabbed the water and two Cokes from the fridge. She handed one to Joe and the other to Frank and then reclaimed her seat in the recliner.

She opened the water and took a sip, thinking hard about what the code could be. A long ago lesson from Quantico popped into her head, "hey, have you tried significant dates yet?" she asked Frank.

"What like his birthday?" Frank asked and nodded his head, "that was the first code, his birthday. For a man with no creativity this fourth code is a real doozy."

"Probably because it's the most important one," Joe commented.

"I mean important dates that are relevant to our relationship with Krieger." Nancy clarified, "The day we met him, the day we caught him, the day he was officially incarcerated or the day he broke out of jail." Nancy listed them off on her fingers.

"No, I haven't tried those!" Frank said excitedly and then turned back to his computer, "let's see," he bit his bottom teeth in concentration, "it's not the first day we met him. Let's try the next one," he punched that in and then shook his head, "Nope, let's try the next one," when that one was denied he tried the last date and let out a triumphant cry. "It worked!"

"It did?" Nancy asked incredulously. Even though it had been her idea she had been a little skeptical that it would work. She leaned over to stare at the screen in front of Frank. There was one box that looked like you would type a message in it and at the bottom was a 'send' button.

"This is great!" Joe said excitedly, "Frank, do something technical and find out where those messages go."

"I can try," Frank muttered and he started typing in a few commands. After fifteen minutes of getting nowhere he leaned back on the couch, "I think we're going to have to call Phil."

"Here," Joe handed him the phone, "call him. I'm getting tired of sitting around doing nothing."

"If you don't like it, why don't you get up and make us all some lunch or something?" Frank teased. He punched in the number to Phil's cell phone and waited for his friend to answer, "Phil, hey it's Frank," a few minutes later Frank hung up the phone.

"He grumbled a little bit about it being New Years Day but he said he'd be right over," Frank told the group.

"Great, that will give us time to eat lunch," Nancy stood up and walked to the kitchen and found Vanessa painting her nails at the kitchen table.

"Hi!" she said brightly, "you know, I haven't done this in so long." She held her hand out to inspect the polish, "I don't know why but I suddenly just wanted to paint my nails."

"I hear you, I get like that too sometimes," Nancy agreed

"How's it going out there?" Vanessa asked.

"Fine, we've reached a standstill for the time being, but I think it's going to be okay. Do you mind if I root around in the kitchen for lunch items?"

"Oh no, no problem. Here, let me help you, these should be dry," she blew a few times on her nails and then walked over to the refrigerator. The two women laughed and bonded over preparing grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. They were still laughing when Nancy called the boys in from the living room.

"Hmm, smells great!" Joe said and sat down in front of one of the plates of food.

"Next time, you cook," Nancy said sternly and took a seat herself.

After they were finished eating the girls left Frank and Joe to deal with the dishes and went out into the living room to continue their conversation. "Joe does this _adorable_ thing when he sleeps," Vanessa said, "when he's feeling particularly feisty he likes to steal all of the blankets. I'm telling you, it's just adorable." The girls laughed and left the room.

"I do not steal the covers," Joe grumbled as he loaded plates into the dishwasher.

"You do sometimes," Frank said as he dried off the pan he had washed. He shrugged when Joe shot him a dirty look, "it's true. When you're feeling…what did Vanessa say? Oh yes, feisty, you don't share very well. Remember that time when we were going to the family reunion in Wisconsin and you and I had to share a bed?" Frank was about to continue when there was a knock on the door.

"There's Phil!" Joe called out and dashed out of the room.

Frank followed and smiled at his friend, "thanks for coming, Phil."

"No problem, I love it when you guys ask for my help on a case," Phil set his laptop case down and sat in front of Frank's computer. "Let's see here," he muttered.

Frank and Phil sat with their heads together as Frank explained to him all of the steps he had gone through to get to that point and Phil nodded his head. "What do you think?" Frank murmured.

"It'll take a minute," Phil replied and started working on the computer.

Much to Joe's dismay it took more than a minute but finally Phil leaned back, "there."

"There? There what?" Joe asked.

"I got it." Phil smiled, "it was hard to trace because the messages sent from this IP address are routed through a number of server farms here in the US and across seas, but I was eventually able to pinpoint the different locations where the messages were received. It's a pretty long list"

"Where are the locations?" Nancy asked.

"Well," Phil leaned in, "with a little help from Google maps," he typed in a few words and then turned the computer to face the group. "You're looking at locations all over New York, it looks like."

"Hey, that one is here in Bayport," Joe pointed at the screen.

"The Bayport Motel," Frank nodded, "looks like that's where we're going first."

* * *


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I didn't really want to end the chapter where I did but I figured since I probably won't be updating again until Monday I'd post everything I had finished before I went out of town tomorrow. :)

MissMel13: you hit the nail on the head, as they say! That's exactly what I was thinking with Nancy and Frank…Frank was so content having Nancy there (and gloating a little in his head :) ) and Nancy was kind of confused because she's not exactly used to waking up with someone draped all over her. :)

Leila91: I'm glad you enjoyed the Nancy and Vanessa stuff; I wanted to show that they're becoming pretty good friends. It wouldn't do to have the boy's girlfriends at odds!

Whitetigers: I'm happy that at least my typo's come out hilarious, because what else can you do but laugh, eh? Thank you for the compliment, I always try and make sure things flow smoothly so it was nice to have someone point that out!

Maggierose17: thank you! I'm glad to hear it!

Franknjoe: I thought it was pretty funny that both Joe and (especially) Frank sort of forgot Nancy was an FBI agent. :)

EstellaB: yup, you got it, "love bug" is WAY too cutsie, which was exactly the point. Can't you just see Nancy saying it to annoy Frank? I love it!

KCS: hopefully this chapter will tide you over until Monday. :)

Red Hardy: if you're reading this, it means you've caught up! Congratulations! Thank you so much for you reviews; I always love hearing your thoughts. :)

Man, you guys have no idea how motivating your reviews are….thank you so much! I can be feeling really "bleh" about the story and you guys always make me want to continue, so thank you! I hope everyone continues to read and enjoy!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 26**

Frank, Nancy and Joe approached the check-in desk of the Bayport Motel thirty minutes later. The motel was located on the outskirts of town and looked more like the Bates Motel than the Bayport Motel, "twenty bucks says there's a guy here who has a crazy mother in a mansion." Frank muttered under his breath.

Nancy let out a nervous laugh but kept her eyes open, the place didn't really look to be doing a brisk business. There was one car at the far end of the motel but the parking lot was otherwise deserted.

"This doesn't seem like a place Krieger would hang out," Nancy murmured

"You're right, I thought it was all class all the time with that guy," Frank agreed.

"Maybe he stayed here to avoid being seen, this place is certainly off the map," Joe suggested.

The woman sitting at the check-in counter smacked her gum and looked extremely bored, "can I help you?" she asked in a nasally voice as the trio approached the counter. She eyed Nancy up and down, "will it be three for a room then? You gotta pay for the whole night even if…" Frank cut her off before she could finish.

"No, we don't need a room," Frank said stiffly

The woman cocked her head and frowned at Frank, "then what're ya here for?" she smacked her gum loudly.

Joe leaned on the desk and read her name tag, "Darleen? I like that name," he smiled at her with his trademark Joe Hardy grin. Darleen smiled in return and leaned forward suggestively.

"What's your name, handsome?" she asked.

"Joe," he replied still with that winning smile on his face.

"What're you doing with these two? They don't look to be up to your…speed," she eyed Frank and Nancy again as they stood off to the side, unsmiling.

Joe laughed, "You're right Darleen, they can be pretty stiff. I was just wondering if you could give me a little information."

Darleen's eyes narrowed, "what kind of information? Are you cops?"

"No, I'm a private investigator," Joe replied.

"Oh, that sounds so much cooler than being a plain ol' cop," Darleen continued chewing her gum loudly.

"That's because it is, Darleen. So, can you help me out?" Frank rolled his eyes; Joe was really laying it on thick.

"Sure," Darleen shrugged, "what is it you want to know?"

"Could you check the records from the last couple of weeks, tell me if you've had a Jonathan Krieger stay here?"

"Not many people stay here and I can tell ya without checking nobody with the name of Krieger has stayed here, but I'll look anyway," she pulled out an old book and Nancy had to stifle a groan, all they needed was an appearance from Anne Heche and they'd have the movie _Psycho_.

Darleen ran a finger down the page and pursed her lips, "three Jonathan's in the last three weeks but none of them with the last name Krigger."

"Uh, it's Krieger," Frank corrected and earned a glare from Darleen.

Joe shook his head at Frank and reached for the book with another winning smile, "do you mind if I look?" he pulled the book across the counter towards him and began to look at the list of names. "Guys, all of these Jonathan's have 'K' last names: King, Kerry and oh man…" Joe laughed, "He actually used the last name 'Knievel'." At Nancy's puzzled look, Joe explained, "you know, Evil Knievel the famous daredevil?"

"Never mind that the idiot used the last name Knievel," Frank said, "what about the last name Kerry? Shorten Jonathan to John and you've got the man who wanted to be President of the United States, John Kerry, staying at the Bates Motel."

"Um, it's actually the _Bayport_ Motel," Darleen said in a voice that suggested she didn't understand Frank's intentional slip and just seemed to think Frank was touched in the head.

"Yeah, uh…that's what I meant, The Bayport Motel," Frank said and tried to ignore Nancy who was laughing like and idiot.

"Do you think we could get the keys to the room he stayed in while he was here?" Joe asked Darleen sweetly.

"I don't know…" she trailed off, "you guys are kinda like the law, right?"

"Kind of," Joe agreed.

"I guess I could," she reached under the counter and grabbed out a set of keys and handed them to Joe.

"Were you working when any of these Jonathan's came in?" Joe asked, "Could you maybe describe what they looked like?"

"Honey, I'm always working," Darleen pushed her hair back and wiggled suggestively as she straightened her top, "but I don't remember those Jonathan's at all."

Joe sighed, figured, "well, if you remember what they look like give me a call," he said and pulled out his card and put it on the desk.

"Oh I will, sugar." Darleen winked.

"We'll be back with the keys," Frank grumbled and led the group back outside. "Geez Joe, you know how to lay it on thick."

"Hey, it got us the information didn't it?" Joe shrugged.

Nancy grabbed the keys from Joe's hand, "which one is it?"

Joe glanced at the numbers on the door, "it's room 8 but the number is missing," he pointed at rooms 7 and 9 and indeed, the door in between the two was missing its number.

Nancy unlocked the door and pushed it open, it creaked ominously, "you have got to be kidding me," she rolled her eyes at the sound. "If it wasn't the middle of the day and snowy outside, I'd be a little nervous."

"Same goes," Joe replied and started slowly circling the room.

"Is that a stuffed bird?" Frank said, pointing at the bird sitting on the dresser. "Didn't Norman Bates have a taxidermy hobby?"

"Yeah," Nancy replied and stared at the gruesome thing, "gross."

"I can't believe that Krieger would stay here," Joe muttered as he gingerly lifted up the bed skirt and looked under the bed.

"I know it's hard to believe. I don't even want to think of how dirty those sheets are," Nancy pointed to the bed.

"And what's with the last names he used while staying here? King is okay I guess but, Kerry and Knievel? That comes from someone who isn't very creative." Frank opened one of the dresser drawers to peek inside. Other than a dead spider there was nothing but dust inside.

"I don't think we're going to find anything here," Joe called as he flipped on the light in the bathroom and stepped inside.

"Don't take a shower," Nancy suggested absently as she looked into the empty drawers of the bedside table.

"Har, har," Joe called from the bathroom, his voice echoing, "nothing in here but soap scum and tacky olive green tiles."

They spent another fifteen minutes going over the hotel room but they weren't optimistic about finding an incriminating photo or stray forgotten toothbrush. Nancy wiped her hands on her jeans as Frank locked the door behind them and they walked back to return the keys.

"That was kind of a waste," she said.

"Not really," Frank replied as Joe ran in to give the keys to Darleen, "I mean, we know that _someone_ with the supposed same first name stayed in the same exact room three times in the last three weeks."

"Yeah, that's a lot of ifs, Frank," Nancy climbed in the car and Joe joined them.

"I agree with Nancy," Joe said from his seat, "I mean, what if it's just an odd coincidence that three Jonathan's all with last names that started with the letter 'K' stayed here at I Wanna Die Tonight Motel?"

"I'd say the chances are pretty slim," Frank said as he guided the car out of the driveway, "I mean, think about it. Phil traced the messages to this place, three Jonathan's in three weeks stayed in the same room. That can't be a coincidence, although I do agree that Krieger wouldn't be too pleased to stay in a place like that."

"How many other places are there on the list?" Nancy asked Joe, who had the printed out list in his pocket.

He pulled it out and began counting, "thirty-seven."

"Thirty-seven?" Nancy frowned in concentration, "do you really think a guy like Krieger is going to be hop-scotching all across New York to answer a bunch of messages?"

"No, probably not," Frank replied thoughtfully, "he's the kind of guy who would prefer to send people out to do his bidding, like he did with Giamatti. It certainly sounds like he's gotten powerful enough to have a lot of thugs at his disposal."

"Exactly, which is why I think Krieger sent out his thugs to various locations to check the incoming messages from that website to confuse anyone who might break in that far." Nancy smiled triumphantly.

"Why are you smiling about that?" Joe groaned, "That just means we're going to hit a lot of dead ends before we find the man himself."

"Well Joe, welcome to detective work," Frank said dryly and had Nancy laughing from the back seat.

She was still laughing quietly when her phone rang and she answered it, "Drew".

"Why, you're sounding positively gleeful," answered her partner's voice.

"Michael! What's going on?" Nancy smiled.

"I was just calling to tell you that there's been no headway made on the website."

"They haven't cracked the first code yet, are you serious?" Nancy laughed again, "Tell the top analysts at the FBI to try Krieger's birthday." Frank and Joe both snorted in the front seat, trying to contain their laughter.

"You got through the first code?" Michael asked incredulously.

"And then some," Nancy replied.

Her partner was silent for a moment, "you've already gotten access, haven't you?"

"Yup,"

"I should have figured," Michael sighed, "do you mind helping the FBI out a little? After all, even though you haven't really been here that much lately, you _are_ still an Agent."

"A week ago you couldn't get me to stay away long enough and now you're practically begging to have me back." Nancy laughed when Michael started spluttering, "Calm down, Mike" she said, using the nickname he hated, "and sure, I can help you guys out" Nancy related the information and she could hear Michael rustling around for a piece of paper.

"Okay, well thanks for that. Also, I wanted to let you know that Giamatti's goons requested to be sent to the same prison in Chicago that Giamatti was in when he made his miraculous escape. They claimed they had friends and family in the area that they wanted to be near."

"They're not seriously going to send them there, are they?" Nancy's jaw dropped; if they sent them there it would be only a matter of time before Krieger broke them out again!

"We may not be able to crack codes here at the FBI but we're not stupid," Michael muttered, "their request was denied."

"Good," Nancy sighed.

"When are you planning on coming back to work?"

"Soon, I'm just having a lot of fun running around with my pals." Nancy smiled at Frank in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah well, it's getting harder and harder for me to convince Director Burr that you're still recovering from your smoke inhalation and various beatings, especially when you keep supplying us with information you're gathering."

"Don't worry, we're going to wrap this up soon and I'll be back in your life before you know it."

"You'd better be. There's been talk of pairing me with that pale-faced kid Johnson until you're on your feet again. You know I can't stand that kid." Nancy smiled at the whine in Michael's voice.

"I know, don't worry. I'll be back soon."

"I'm counting on it and stay safe, Drew."

* * *

**Eh, sure it's a little unrealistic that the FBI would have a harder time of cracking the code than the Hardy's and Nancy and their super genius friend…but I thought it was funny, so whatever. :) Plus, it gave me the opportunity to bring in Phil again, and I love Phil. Also, I apologize for all of the **_**Psycho**_** references, especially if you haven't seen that movie. I probably went a little overboard, but again, eh. Oh well, I was cracking myself up (literally laughing out loud) as I was writing it, so I guess that's a good thing right? :) Have a great weekend everybody!**


	27. Chapter 27

"This is probably the worst déjà vu moment I've had in a long time," Joe complained as he popped open a can of Coke and watche

A/N: I'm back from the most boring business trip of all time! YAY! I hope you all had a great weekend and that you enjoy this chapter! I wrote it in an exhausted haze during work today so _please_ go easy on me. I don't want to read it again (I've already read it like, 5 times) and I'd like to post it tonight….so if it is le Crap, then I apologize and promise to do better next time. :)

Thanks for all of your reviews!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 27**

"This is probably the worst déjà vu moment I've had in a long time," Joe complained as he popped open a can of Coke and watched Frank working on his laptop. They were once again sitting in Joe's living room, Nancy in the recliner and Frank and Joe on the couch.

"It's not exactly the same, Vanessa isn't here," Nancy pointed out. Vanessa had left a note for Joe telling him she had gone over to spend some time with Callie while she was still in town.

"You're a stickler for details, aren't you Drew?" Joe said smiling over his can of soda.

"It's kind of my job, Joe," Nancy smiled back.

"Okay, I'm almost done looking up what kind of places all of these addresses are," Frank murmured and typed a few more things on his laptop. "Now we have to sort out which places we're more likely to find Krieger and which places are going to be a rerun of the Bates Motel."

"Well, list them off bro," Joe leaned back on the couch and Frank started reading the list. Soon they had a list of places that were most likely where they could find Krieger and a list of places that were probably dead ends.

"Hopefully Krieger's hiding place is on that list," Nancy said, pointing to the list of possibilities. "Otherwise, this is going to be one long wild goose chase."

"How many are there on the list?" Joe asked and leaned over Frank's shoulder to count. "Twelve? Sheesh and I thought we had narrowed it down."

"We did, from thirty-seven to twelve? I'd say that's pretty narrow." Frank leaned over to shut down his computer.

"So, now we figure out where we should start first." Nancy reached for the list in Frank's hand, "maybe we should try this one first. It has the most messages received."

"That might not be the best indication of where Krieger is. There are about four places on the second list of places we think are dead ends that have just as high of numbers," Frank pointed out.

"Well, you've got to start somewhere," Joe stood up and grabbed his jacket, "let's go."

Nancy and Frank exchanged a knowing smile, Joe was always anxious to get a move on. The place they had decided to check out was in Freeport; about 20 miles south of Bayport and Frank had determined it was a home address.

They pulled up to the curb on the opposite side of the street and stared at the house they had come to see, "For Rent." Nancy read out loud and sighed, another dead end. She could see through the open front curtains that the house was empty.

"Well, at least with the place unoccupied we'll be able to look around easily." Joe said optimistically.

"And it's getting dark outside, so there's less chance of us being seen." Frank murmured.

"That hedge will provide decent cover for us to sneak around back," Joe pointed at the front yard.

"Guys, even if we _were_ seen we could just pretend we were interested in renting the house," Nancy rolled her eyes and smiled as the brother's exchanged embarrassed looks.

"I guess it doesn't have to be all cloak and daggers," Frank grinned at his brother before getting out of the car.

Nancy, Joe and Frank approached the house and Nancy peered through the front window. "The mantle is pretty dusty on the fireplace; it looks like this place hasn't been occupied in awhile."

"I'm going to go around back and see if I can get in through the back door," Joe said and ducked around the side of the house.

"I'll go check out the garage, see if there's a door I can get in that way," Frank nodded his head toward the garage.

"I guess that makes me the lookout," Nancy smiled.

"Guess so," Frank started to walk toward the garage but stopped. He turned around and walked back toward Nancy and gave her a kiss, "I hadn't done that in awhile," he said in way of explanation and smiled before turning to leave again.

Nancy was smiling stupidly and half distracted so she didn't notice the man walking down the street, obviously on his evening stroll with his dog. "Hello!" the man called and Nancy's head whipped around to face him with a look of panic in her eyes. She calmed down when she saw it was just a man from the neighborhood and she reached down to scratch behind the dog's ears.

"Hello," she replied with a smile.

"You thinking of renting?" he asked with a nod toward the house.

"I am," Nancy smiled and stood up to from petting the dog.

"Kind of a big place for one person," the man said nonchalantly.

"Oh, it uh…won't be just me. My husband is around back checking out the deck and backyard." Nancy said, thinking quickly, "he likes to barbecue."

"Very nice," the man smiled and seeing his eyes searching for a wedding ring, Nancy casually put her left hand in her jacket pocket.

"So, what can you tell me about this place? Has it been empty long?" Nancy asked, perhaps this man would be able to give her some information about the last tenants.

"Oh, it's been empty about a month," the man answered, looking up at the house, "there have been lots of showings, but no takers." The man smiled and pointed, "That must be your husband."

Nancy whirled around and smiled when she saw Frank walking around from the side of the house shaking his head and looking frustrated. He paused when he looked up and saw Nancy standing with a strange man. He approached cautiously, smiling uncertainly and was about to say something when Nancy cut in, "yes, this is Frank, my husband." Nancy turned to look at the man and smiled, "and I'm sorry but I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"John, my name is John," the man smiled and shook Frank's hand. Nancy's eyes narrowed, his name was John? It had to be some sort of coincidence. "I hope you guys move in, the neighborhood could use a young couple like you guys."

"Thank you," Frank replied and wrapped an arm around Nancy's shoulders possessively.

"Have a good night," the man waved and turned to walk back down the street the way he had come.

"You too," Nancy called and watched the man turn the corner. She stuck her other hand in her pocket and froze.

"Nancy? What is it?" Frank turned her to face him and looked at her in concern.

"Frank…" Nancy's voice trailed off as she pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket.

"What does it say?" Frank whispered as he watched Nancy unfold the piece of paper. Nancy quickly read the words on the paper and handed it over to Frank for him to read.

_You have suffered, but not nearly enough._

_You will suffer more, but I will never be satisfied._

_Only your death will bring me peace._

_The countdown has begun._

_Tick-tock._

Frank glanced up and he and Nancy began running at the same time. They ran in the direction the man named "John" had disappeared and when they rounded the corner he was nowhere in sight.

"Wait, we can't just leave Joe," Frank said, panting slightly.

"Fine, you go back and get Joe and I'll keep looking," Nancy growled when Frank laid a restricting hand on her shoulder. "What?"

"Nancy, why don't you go back to Joe and I'll keep looking?"

"Frank! We've been over this! I have a gun and we're wasting valuable time!" Nancy's voice softened, "I'll be fine, go make sure your brother is okay." With that she turned and started jogging down the street, looking every where for the man with the dog.

Frank stood on the street corner, torn between the safety of his brother and the safety of the woman he…_loved._ Frank felt a lump forming in his throat and he sighed, "Now is not the time for this, Hardy!" he cried, frustrated. It was not the right time to be realizing he was head over heels in love with Nancy. He stood for a moment, looking at the house where his brother was and down the street where Nancy was fast approaching the opposite street corner and would soon disappear from sight.

Frank growled in frustration and ran as quickly as he could back to the rental house. Joe was just coming around the corner from the back of the house when Frank ran up the front steps, "Hey, I got the door…" Joe began but Frank cut him off.

"Explain in a minute," Frank panted, "Come on."

Frank turned around and ran back to the corner and turned. His heart stopped for a minute when Nancy was nowhere in sight. Joe came up behind him, "what's going on? Where's Nancy?" Instead of answering Frank took off down the street. Joe followed close behind his brother and wondered what the hell was going on.

Frank stopped at the street corner and looked left and then right. He gave out a cry of triumph when he saw Nancy about halfway down the street on the right. "Frank…" Joe tried again but Frank took off toward Nancy.

"Nancy!" Frank stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, "are you okay?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"Yes, I'm fine but annoyed. Just as I rounded the corner our friend John was getting into a van and driving away."

"Can you guys _please_ explain what's going on?" Joe asked, exasperated.

Because Frank looked like he needed a minute to compose himself, Nancy jumped in and told Joe the story. "At least I got a partial plate number, 5-CHV. We should be able to look it up in the FBI database with just that and the make and model," she said.

Frank turned pained eyes onto Nancy's that had her pausing mid-sentence, _'uh-oh, something's wrong.'_ She knew that now probably wasn't the best time to talk about it and so smiled and squeezed his hand as they walked back to the rental house.

"Well, before the big chase I was coming out to tell you guys I got the door unlocked," Joe said as they walked up to the house. "Let's take a look around."

They all went around the house and stepped in the back door, which led to the kitchen. They spent 20 minutes going over the house but every room they checked was empty.

"Another dead end," Frank said when they all met back in the kitchen.

"One down, eleven to go," Nancy pointed out, trying to sound optimistic.

"Yeah," Joe agreed. They walked back outside to the car and started the drive back to Bayport. Nancy could sense that something was bothering Frank, so she slipped her hand in his as he continued to drive.

Joe could also sense that something was up with his brother and so tried to keep the mood light on the way home. He kept up a steady stream of chatter, talking about everything from the newest war movie to baseball stats. Eventually Frank relaxed enough to enter into a heated debate with his brother about baseball, but Joe and Nancy knew that he was still upset.

"Let's check out the next place in the morning," Joe suggested from the backseat, "it's getting pretty late and the other places on the list are pretty far away."

Frank narrowed his eyes in suspicion at his brother in the rearview mirror, "that's very unlike you Joe."

Joe shrugged but didn't say anything. He knew that his brother was upset and needed to vent before they moved on.

"It makes sense," Nancy agreed,

Frank nodded and turned into the parking lot of Joe's apartment, "Vanessa's back," he commented. The trio walked up the stairs to Joe's apartment and went inside.

"You guys are back!" Vanessa cried from her position on the couch. She quickly stood up to give Joe a welcoming kiss.

"How was Callie?" Joe asked

"Good, they're leaving in two days. We might go get coffee tomorrow," Vanessa and Joe sat down on the couch and Frank sat in the recliner.

"I'm going to call in and check that plate number," Nancy said and stepped out onto the porch. A few minutes later she came back in and Vanessa was nowhere to be found. When she asked about her she was told that Vanessa had gone back to her and Joe's bedroom to read. Nancy took a deep breath and told them the search results, "only four vehicles came up. One of them was registered to a Jonathan Kerry."

"Well, that was easy," Joe commented.

"They have an alert out to all the local police departments to look out for the car," Nancy said.

"Excuse me," Frank muttered and stood up. Joe watched him walk down the hallway to the bathroom and sighed.

"It looks like Frank needs to talk," Joe turned to look at Nancy who was staring at the hallway where Frank had disappeared, concern written all over her face.

"I know, I'll go back out on the deck when he gets back so the two of you can talk. I'll call my dad or something, I haven't checked in with him yet today." Nancy pulled her cell phone back out of her pocket in preparation.

"Nan, he needs you," Joe responded quietly. Nancy looked at Joe in confusion and didn't say anything. Joe explained, "My brother and I can and do talk about everything, but this is something he needs to talk about with you first."

"Joe, I don't want to get in the way of you and Frank. You guys have such a special relationship with each other," Nancy started to shake her head.

"Trust me Nancy; you're not stepping on my toes. Frank will talk to me eventually, but tonight he needs you. Besides, I think Frank's current mood has something to do with you anyway," Joe smiled lightly and stood to face Nancy, "I know when to step aside and what is best for my brother," he laid his hand on Nancy's shoulder, "and what's best for my brother right now is to be with you, talk with you."

Nancy nodded her head and made her decision, "will you call your parents and let them know I won't be staying there tonight?"

Joe looked confused for a moment before his eyebrows rose in shock, "oh….oh, okay. Gross," but he smiled and nodded, "of course."

Nancy opened her mouth to respond but shut it quickly when she heard the bathroom door open, "thank you," she said quietly and they turned to watch Frank re-enter the room.

"Well guys, I'm beat and my lady waits," Joe said, cracking a smile, "lock the door on your way out and I'll see you in the morning," he gave Nancy an encouraging hug, then turned to give his brother a hug before he disappeared down the hall and into his bedroom.

"Ready?" Frank asked.

"Yeah," Nancy responded and grabbed her purse, "let's go."

They walked downstairs and Nancy climbed into her car while Frank climbed into the passenger seat, "it sucks not having a car," he muttered and buckled his seat belt. "If you're tired, you can just go straight to my parent's house. I can crash there or I can borrow my dad's car to get home or something."

"That won't be necessary," Nancy replied and made her way down the snowy streets to Frank's apartment. She found a spot in the parking lot and turned off the car. She climbed out before Frank could ask her what she was doing. He climbed out and closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked her warily. She just smiled and held out her hand, he grabbed it and she led him up the stairs to his apartment. He unlocked his front door and she stepped inside ahead of him.

"You know, I'm starting to like these milk crates more and more," Nancy said thoughtfully as she circled the room.

Frank threw his keys on the counter and took his jacket off to hang it in the hall closet. He turned to Nancy and looked at her with troubled eyes, "what are you doing here, Nancy?"

"Frank, I know something is bothering you. What is it?" Nancy stepped over to stand in front of him and laid her hands on his tense shoulders. Nancy waited for him to look at her but he stared stubbornly at the floor. Finally, Nancy lifted his chin and forced him to meet her gaze, "Frank, please talk to me."

"I…" his voice trailed off and he shook his head. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. "Not right now," he murmured and rubbed his lips against hers, causing a thousand nerve endings in her body to go careening out of control.

"Okay," she replied breathlessly. His hand moved up to cup the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss. She lifted her arms slowly to run her fingers through his thick, dark hair and sighed in contentment.

"Are you sure you want to…" Frank's voice trailed off.

"Yes," Nancy replied firmly.

As they made their way down the hallway slowly, Frank barely even registered the pain when his elbow hit a doorjamb. Finally, they stumbled through his bedroom door and Nancy glanced at the furniture, "I was half expecting a mattress on the floor," she commented taking in the sturdy wooden Mission style bed frame and matching bedroom furniture.

"The furniture is new," Frank turned Nancy's head back to his and kissed her before breaking apart again, "I had a mattress on the floor for over a year."

Nancy was laughing as they made their way over to the bed.

* * *

Nancy sighed and stretched her arms above her head, "tired," she mumbled "thirsty."

Frank smiled and rolled out of bed to grab a glass of water from the bathroom. He drank one himself before refilling the cup and bringing it back to Nancy. He climbed back into bed and pulled Nancy into his arms.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Nancy asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the wonderful moment.

"Not right now," Frank replied, "right now is just about us and this moment. I don't want to ruin it with talk of the case or other things," Frank leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Nancy's head.

"Okay," Nancy murmured and closed her eyes, "but we should talk about it in the morning."

"Agreed," Frank replied and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep, but he closed his eyes anyway. He had never been so content and so happy and yet at the same time had such an incredible feeling of unease.

* * *

**For any of you Geography buffs out there, I looked at a map of New York and there is a place called Freeport west of New York City. In my head, Bayport has always been south of New York City and so I only borrowed the name, not the location of Freeport for this story. Also, I saw that there was a town called Hicksville west of New York City too. I laughed and wondered how many Hicksville's there are in the US…I always thought that Hicksville was the way I used to describe the town where I went for my first year of college, not an actual place with an actual spot on the map. :) **


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. It was finals week this last week (four college finals just about does you in, let me tell you) and my sister graduated from High School…so it's been a madhouse around here. Thanks to everyone for reviewing! I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 28**

Frank slowly opened his gritty eyes and realized that his right arm was numb.

Frank turned his head and smiled when he realized that Nancy was lying on top of his arm, causing it to fall asleep. He carefully tried to extricate his arm from underneath her, trying hard not to wake her up. _'Girls wonder why guys don't care to cuddle afterward…this is why, we're in danger of falling asleep and losing one of our limbs,' _Frank thought to himself with another smile as he flexed his arm to get the blood flowing again

Not many men would ever openly admit it, but even with the danger of losing a limb, cuddling was pretty fantastic. He slowly slipped out of bed and tugged on his discarded jeans. He walked quietly toward the bedroom door and opened it carefully, not wanting to wake Nancy. He padded down the hallway to the kitchen and went through the motions of making coffee and waited impatiently for it to brew.

He poured the first cup and took the first bracing sip of it black. After the first sip he added cream and sugar before leaning against the kitchen counter. He stared unseeingly at the kitchen floor, deep in thought. Last night had been amazing; being with Nancy was everything he had expected it to be and more.

Frank smiled smugly to himself as he thought about last night and hell, it had happened early this morning, too. He glanced up when Nancy came shuffling into the kitchen wearing his t-shirt. She yawned hugely, "coffee," she grumbled.

He poured her a mug and handed it to her silently; she took one sip, then two, then looked up and smiled at Frank. She laid a hand on his bare chest and standing on her tip toes gave him a good morning kiss. "Hi," she said.

"Hi, back," Frank replied with a smile.

Nancy poured creamer into her own coffee and leaned against the counter opposite of Frank, "so, what are you going to make me for breakfast, Hardy?" she smiled at him over the rim of her mug.

Frank laughed, "What makes you think I'm going to be making you breakfast?"

"Hmm, interesting question," Nancy contemplated her coffee. "Tell you what, I'll see what there is around here I can turn into a breakfast and you can start talking."

"Talking, about what?" Frank asked innocently.

"You know what," Nancy replied and turned to stick her head in the fridge. She came out with her arms loaded down with various items.

"How are you going to make breakfast out of all of those random things?" Frank asked as he watched her plunk down jam, four eggs, a hunk of cheese, deli meat and green onions.

Nancy grabbed the loaf of bread on the counter and turned to give Frank a pitying stare, "oh, you poor bachelor. Watch and learn, as they say." She turned and searched for a few minutes before finding a pan and the toaster, "speak," she commanded with her back turned, facing the oven.

"I don't want to spoil the moment," Frank raised his hands up for peace when Nancy shot a glare over her shoulder, "it's not every day I have a beautiful woman in my kitchen wearing my t-shirt and making me breakfast."

"Fine, but you'll talk over breakfast," Nancy cracked the eggs into the pan and began chopping up the green onions. "If you're not going to tell me what's bothering you right now, make yourself useful and chop up that deli ham," she pointed to the bag and handed him a knife.

She watched and he started cutting the ham in half, "smaller pieces, Frank. They're going in with the eggs."

"They are?" Frank looked puzzled.

"It's called a scramble," Nancy explained with a smile.

"Oh! My mom makes those, they're good." Frank began cutting the ham into smaller pieces.

"Yes, and one day Hardy, I expect you to make me a scramble. They're not difficult," Nancy had to stifle a laugh as she watched Frank meticulously cut up the ham into miniscule little pieces.

"Done!" he cried triumphantly, "now what?"

"Go ahead and put them in the pan," Nancy instructed and poured her pile of green onions in with it and started to grate the cheese. "Why don't you pop a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster?" she suggested as she began to mix everything together in the pan.

A few minutes later Frank grabbed plates out of the cupboard and Nancy gave them a surprised look, "I thought you used paper plates."

"Mom made me buy these for when I have company over," Frank shrugged, "she said that you never serve company on paper plates."

"Oh, I see," Nancy said and noticed Frank's embarrassed face. _'How cute is that?'_ she thought to herself as she divided the eggs and put them on two separate plates. Frank grabbed the toast he had buttered and put the slices on each plate, "voila!" Nancy said, "Breakfast is served."

"It looks delicious," Frank said and took an appreciative sniff. They walked around to sit at the kitchen counter on the barstools because Frank was seriously lacking in the dining room table department. "You're right, I really have to get some furniture," Frank said a moment later around a mouthful of egg, "it's a little awkward to eat with someone and sit next to them like this."

Nancy smiled and took a sip of her coffee, "so…"

"So, what?" Frank asked, "These eggs are great," he mumbled and shoveled another forkful into his mouth.

"Frank," Nancy said sternly.

"Okay, okay," Frank muttered and finished chewing his food before he turned on the stool to face Nancy. "Yesterday, when I had to choose between you and Joe, it didn't sit well with me," he shrugged and turned to face his food again.

"Okay," Nancy replied, unsure of what to say. _'Why does Joe think I know how to handle this?' _she thought to herself, _'this is obviously something Frank needs to discuss with his brother!'_

They sat in silence for a moment and ate their breakfast. Frank stood up from the stool abruptly and took his empty dish to the sink, "yeah, well. It's something I'm going to have to deal with I guess," he said angrily.

"Hold on," Nancy pushed her plate away from her, the food only half gone. "I understand why this would be something that would make you upset, but why are you angry with me?"

Frank ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sighed, "What happens when the situation is more serious than the one we were in last night? What happens when I have to choose between you and Joe or someone else that I love and I make the wrong decision and someone gets hurt in the process? What happens then?"

"Frank," Nancy thought about going to him, but thought better of it when she noticed his hunched and stiff shoulders, "you have to realize that I can take care of myself and so can Joe. Sometimes, you just have to rely on your instincts in a tough situation and hope that everything turns out the way you hope it will."

"Yeah, well the instincts get a little blurred when the woman you're in love with is involved," Frank spat out the words and they sounded like an accusation.

"What?" Nancy asked quietly, _'did he just say he loved me?'_

Frank didn't seem to have heard her, "Yesterday it was simple…go back for my brother as quickly as possible and then get to you, as quickly as possible. What if I'm faced with a situation far more dangerous? What if some crook like Giamatti or Krieger uses my love for you and my brother or anyone else in my life against me and I have to make a decision between the two of you?"

Nancy shook her head as if to clear it, now was not the right time to demand an explanation as to what Frank meant by calling her the woman he was in love with. "Frank, you're an amazing man," _and I love you, too, _she finished silently.

When Frank let out a snort of disbelief, Nancy continued. "It's true; you're an amazing man who holds an incredible amount of love in his heart for a lot of people. I respect and admire that about you and I always have, always will." Nancy stood and cleared her plate into the garbage and then started loading the dishwasher.

"One thing about you is that you feel so responsible for taking care of everyone around you, which is part of what makes you an amazing man," this time she gave in to the urge to touch him and she laid her hand gently on his face, he eyed her warily. "It's tough to be the kind of man you are in our line of work," Nancy shrugged at Frank's dubious expression, "it's true," she said simply.

Nancy walked back around the counter to reclaim her seat and took a sip of her coffee, "now, listen up because I'm only going to say this once." Frank looked shocked but Nancy continued anyway, "I understand exactly where you are coming from right now with your worry for your family and loved ones. Don't think for a minute that you're the only one who worries about making the tough decision. How do you think Joe makes it through the day, wondering constantly if he's ever going to have to measure his love for Vanessa against his love for you?"

Nancy shook her head as Frank began to speak and she cut him off, "Frank, I've always admired your devotion to your family and your willingness to do anything to protect the people you love. I've always believed in you to make the right decision, make the right moves and get everybody out safe. I don't have a soothing; make it all better response for you. All I can say is that the people you love and care about can take care of themselves and all you can do in a bad situation is trust your instincts."

Frank was silent for a moment as her words sunk in, "I…" he rubbed the stubble on his chin, "well," he managed to get out.

Nancy shrugged, "I like to tell it how it is."

Frank frowned at Nancy's tone, "something else is wrong."

"Not really," Nancy stood up off the stool, trying to look neutral and the whole time she was thinking, _'If you love me, tell me!'_

Frank walked out of the kitchen to stand in front of her, "what is it?"

"Nothing," Nancy shrugged again. "I'm going to get dressed."

Frank frowned as he watched her walk back into the bedroom, _'what did I say?'_

A few minutes later Nancy walked out with her purse hanging off her shoulder, she walked over and gave Frank a quick kiss. "I'm going to go to your parents and change out of these day old clothes. If I'm lucky they'll still be in bed and I won't have to do the walk of shame down your parent's hallway."

"Sure," Frank was still puzzled, what was going on?

"See you later," Nancy called and walked quickly out of the apartment.

Frank poured himself another cup of coffee and took a sip, deep in thought. It wasn't until he was putting his coffee cup in the sink that he realized, "how am I going to get to work?"

* * *

Joe rolled over in bed and reached blindly for his ringing phone, "what?" he answered gruffly.

"Joe? Are you still in bed?" It was his brother. Joe reached over to look at the display on his digital clock.

"Frank, it's only seven," he groaned.

"You should be up and getting ready for work right now," was his brother's reply.

"Says you, I can get ready in ten minutes or less if I need to," Joe rubbed his hand over his tired eyes, "what do you need?"

"I need a ride."

"A ride?" Joe asked confused, "I thought that Nancy…" his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, well. She was here but then she left in kind of a hurry and I didn't think about the fact that I don't have a car until after she left."

"Why'd she leave so fast?" Joe swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.

"I don't know," Frank mumbled and when Joe remained silent he continued, "I think I said something to upset her but I can't figure out what."

"Did you guys talk about what was bothering you?"

'Yeah actually, we did. Surprisingly, she made me feel a lot better." Frank chuckled, "She explained to me, sort of abruptly, that I wasn't the only one worried about my loved ones. It was exactly what I needed to bring me out of my funk"

"Did she now?" Joe smiled and thought to himself, _'atta girl, Nancy!'_

"Yeah anyway, she left and now I need a ride to wherever it is we're going to meet today."

"Did you say Nancy was on her way to the house?"

"Yeah," Frank replied.

"I'll swing by and pick you up and we can use the home office for today. I'd say we could meet here again but Vanessa and her mother are going to be looking at the _biggest_ stack of bridal magazines I have ever seen and I don't know _anything_ about flowers. I need to escape."

Frank chuckled, "I hear ya bro, see you in ten minutes or less."

* * *

Frank climbed into Joe's car fifteen minutes later, "morning."

"Morning," Joe replied and smiled, "you look well rested."

"You too," Frank replied.

The brother's lapsed into companionable silence as Joe wound his way through the streets towards his parent's house. "So, what do you think is wrong with Nancy?" Joe asked a few minutes later.

"See, that's just the thing, I have no idea!" Frank ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"What did you say that could have upset her?"

"Well, I got kind of angry when I was telling her how upset I was about yesterday but she seemed to take that in stride." Frank wracked his brain to bring the conversation from earlier back, "I said that I couldn't stand the idea of someone like Giamatti or Krieger using someone I loved against me."

"Go on," Joe prompted when Frank paused but he was starting to get an idea as to why Nancy could have been upset.

"Then she told me that sometimes you just have to trust your instincts and I guess I got a little more upset and told her that it's pretty hard to trust your instincts when the person you're in love with is involved." Frank turned to face his brother, "do you think I was too angry or something?"

Joe shook his head, "and people think you're the smart one."

"Hey!" Frank said, immediately offended, "what do you mean by that?"

"Frank, think about what you just said," when Frank looked confused Joe sighed and explained further, "the part about 'the woman you're in love with'."

Frank was silent for a minute as he thought about it. Suddenly, it clicked. "Oh," he said and groaned, "OH."

"Yeah, 'oh'," Joe said nodding his head. "No woman wants to hear for the first time that her boyfriend loves her during some crazy nonsensical episode he's going through."

"It wasn't crazy! Being afraid for the people I love is a legitimate fear!" Frank replied.

"Sure. Still, you messed up bro. Even a girl as forward thinking as Nancy is going to be a little upset by that," Joe turned onto their parent's street and pulled into the driveway. They sat for a moment, Frank staring at Nancy's car in front of him.

"I'm probably going to have to grovel, aren't I?" Frank muttered, "I hate groveling."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Nancy's a smart girl. I don't think you'll be forced to grovel." At Frank's hopeful gaze, Joe laughed, "oh, but you'll definitely have to beg." Frank groaned.

* * *

Nancy opened the front door of the Hardy home as quietly as possible. She tiptoed across the living room and was just about to head up the stairs, congratulating herself on her stealthy moves when the dining room lights turned on.

She turned to see Laura standing in the doorway that lead into the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Oh, this is embarrassing," Nancy mumbled and tried to return Laura's smile. It came out as more of a grimace.

"Good morning," Laura smiled, "why don't you go on upstairs and change and I'll grab you a cup of coffee. Fenton will be out of bed soon."

Nancy smiled gratefully; it was obvious Laura understood Nancy's embarrassment, "thank you." She turned and ran upstairs.

She returned a few minutes later to find Laura sitting at the dining room table with two cups of coffee. She sat down in one of the chairs and took a sip, "delicious." She groaned and looked at Laura sheepishly, "sorry about all of this."

"No need to apologize, Nancy. I was young once too. I'm lucky that I get to live with my man, which cuts back on embarrassing morning excursions." Laura's eyes twinkled with laughter.

"I know, but you're his _mom._" Nancy whispered in horror.

"Don't you worry about that," Laura patted Nancy's hand, "what I want to know is why you're here, by yourself. What happened?"

Nancy couldn't help herself, she told Laura the whole story, "I know I'm just being a ridiculous female about all of this, but I didn't think that first time Frank told me he loved me he would say it like it was an accusation or something."

"Hm," Laura took a sip of her coffee and smiled with understanding at Nancy, "he's made a mistake this time, my boy."

"It's not that big of a deal," Nancy shrugged, "I'm trying really hard not to let it be such a big deal."

"Honey, you have every right to be upset," Laura grinned, "besides, you'll have to make Frank beg for forgiveness. Even if you don't need him to, it's so much fun when Frank begs."

Nancy couldn't help but laugh.

* * *


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, they make me smile! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry this isn't very long, but I promise to make it up to you somehow!

**Second Chances  
****  
Chapter 29**

Frank stood at his parent's front door, unmoving. Joe stood on the steps behind him and cleared his throat impatiently, "any day, Frank."

Frank shook his head, "yeah, yeah I know." Frank swallowed; behind that door was a problem he was afraid he didn't know how to fix. He dug his key out of his pocket and lifted it to the door reluctantly. The deadbolt unlocking seemed to ring in Frank's ears ominously.

Joe chuckled at his brother's dramatics and gave him a shove into the house. Joe walked through the living room toward the dining room and the light that was on in there. Frank stood where he was.

Joe smiled at his mom and Nancy when he saw them sitting at the dining room table, "good morning, Mom. Morning Nancy," Joe leaned down to give his mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello Joe," Laura replied and smiled, "where's your brother?"

"The Statue of Frank is currently standing in the hallway," Joe replied and leaned over to snatch a scone off the plate that sat on the table.

Nancy rolled her eyes and began to stand up, "what are you doing?" Laura asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Um," Nancy replied, "Well, I was going to go out and talk to Frank…" Nancy trailed off at the twin looks of incredulity on mother and son's faces. "What?" she asked defensively.

"Would you like to take this one, Mom or shall I?" Joe asked.

"You go ahead Joe, I thought I had gotten through to her but obviously I did not. I'll go get some more coffee and scones while you talk to her. Maybe you'll get through to her." Laura smiled at Nancy who was looking very confused, stood up from her seat at the table and walked back into the kitchen.

Joe took the seat his mother had just vacated and sat himself down slowly, "Nancy," he said. His tone of voice suggested that he might be talking to a very small child and not a full grown woman.

"What?" Nancy said, clearly exasperated.

"Nancy," Joe started again, "you cannot possibly go out to Frank right now. Frank has messed up, he must come to you."

"Oh," Nancy relaxed back in her chair, "really? It all seems a little…stupid. Why can't I just go out to him and _then_ make him beg?"

Joe made a 'tsk-ing' noise and shook his head, "Young Luke Skywalker, you have much to learn about the Force."

"Joe, do you realize you just 'tsked'? That is very unlike you," Nancy began to laugh before she noticed Joe's attention on the doorway behind her. Thinking it was Laura returning with more coffee and scones Nancy whirled around in her seat, prepared to defend herself and her idea of going to Frank on her own. Instead, she found herself with her mouth hanging open stupidly as Frank stood in the doorway, looking quite forlorn.

"Hey," he mumbled and thrust his hands in his pockets.

"Hello," Nancy replied.

"I hear Mom calling," Joe stood up quickly from his chair and walked toward the kitchen, "yeah Mom, I'm coming!" he called and disappeared.

"I think we probably need to talk," Frank said, staring determinately out the window at the backyard.

"Okay," Nancy shrugged, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Okay," Frank tore his gaze away from the window and looked uncomfortable, "I guess what I need to say to you is…"

Fenton burst through the doorway looking tired, he yawned, "Good morning, you two. You're all here early." Fenton took a seat at the table and grabbed a scone. Looking down at his wife's abandoned coffee cup he shrugged and took a sip of the lukewarm drink. He was completely oblivious to the uncomfortable feeling in the room and both Nancy and Frank's troubled gazes. "Where are Laura and Joe?" he asked, taking another large bite of scone.

"Um…" Nancy began, not sure what to say.

"Fenton!" Laura poked her head in the doorway from the kitchen and smiled radiantly, "honey, I need your help in here please!"

"Why?" Fenton looked puzzled.

"I just need your help, please," Laura held out her hand but still refused to come all the way into the room. Fenton, still very much confused rose and placed his hand in his wife's. He grunted as Laura yanked him, none to gently into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well…as I was saying," Frank rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"Yes?" Nancy smiled sweetly up at him.

"Nan, I'm so sorry," Frank sat down in the chair next to hers and gripped both of Nancy's hands in his. "I mean it; I can't believe I did that." Frank shook his head, "I just wasn't thinking clearly, you know? Last night was incredible and…well, not that I should use that as an excuse for not thinking clearly, but…it _was_ incredible and I was so worked up over everything that happened yesterday. You were right, I'm not the only who has to worry about things like that and I know I really need to get over it. Nancy, I'm so, so, _so_…"

Nancy couldn't stand it any longer, "Frank!" she cried, "stop, please, please stop." Nancy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and then squeezed Frank's hands, he looked very worried, "I don't need you to grovel or beg. I know your mom and Joe wanted me to…"

This time it was Frank's turn to interrupt, "what? My MOM wanted you to make me beg? I mean, I can understand Joe….but, mom?" he shook his head and chuckled, "wow."

"Yes well, anyway…you don't need to beg. I know the kind of person you are and you would never intentionally hurt someone you care about." Intending to let the subject drop and forget about it all together Nancy leaned forward to give Frank a quick kiss, let go of his hands and turned back to her coffee.

Frank was silent for a moment. He couldn't believe that it was possible for him to love her any more, but at that moment, he found that he could. He reached over and turned Nancy to face him again, "you…" his voice trailed off as he tried to find the right words, "I can't believe you."

"What do you mean?"

"I just," Frank leaned forward and placed a kiss on Nancy's lips. She was smiling when he pulled away, "I just really love you."

Nancy's face fell in shock and Frank laughed, "don't look so surprised, I practically shouted it at you this morning."

"Frank, you _did_ shout it at me this morning," Nancy took a deep breath, trying to settle herself. _'He just told me he loved me! And he wasn't angry about it!' _

"I know and I really am sorry about that," Frank leaned forward and kissed Nancy again. "Here it is again: I love you." He was glad he had said the words, the three words that he had known he wanted to say all along but was afraid to. He knew that there was a possibility that Nancy wasn't quite there yet, but he was prepared to wait. After all, he could be a very patient man when something was important enough, "Now, let's see what the plan is for today."

Frank was halfway to the doorway when Nancy finally snapped out of it, "Frank!" she cried and jumped out of her seat and over to him.

"What?" Frank looked alarmed at the sound of desperation in her voice. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, you kind of stunned me," Nancy let out a nervous laugh before continuing, "You're moving to fast..."

Frank's heart sank but somehow he was able to stand in front of her and not grimace, "I know I probably am but…"

Nancy silenced him by raising her hand, "no, let me finish. You're moving to fast as in, toward the doorway. Moving to fast as in, moving the conversation along too fast. You haven't let me have my say." Frank's heart wanted to soar but he stopped it, he didn't want to get his hopes up. Nancy swallowed and continued, "It's been awhile since I've felt this way about anyone, which is why I know what I feel. I love you, Frank. I've loved you most of my life."

Frank grinned hugely before wrapping his arms around Nancy in a long kiss. They broke apart when they heard a large sniffle from the kitchen. They turned to see Laura, with Fenton's arm around her and Joe standing behind them smiling. "It's about time, you two." Laura said angrily and sniffed again, "I mean, really."

"Sorry Mom," Frank apologized.

"What's going on?" Fenton asked, thoroughly confused and everyone laughed.

* * *

"Okay, so now that the Major Romantic Crisis is over," Joe turned to face Frank and Nancy, "it _is_ over, isn't it?"

"Yes, Joe," Nancy replied with a shake of her head.

"Good, now that that's over we can move on to some serious detective work." Joe rapped his pencil on his father's desk. They had set up their base in their father's office, the old premises for _Hardy and Sons_ before they had bought the office in downtown Bayport.

"Since when have you ever been serious, brother?" Frank asked. He couldn't help but tease his younger sibling.

"I can be serious when the time is right," Joe replied, completely unconcerned, "as I was saying, it's time for some serious detective work. Where are we going to go next?"

"You might want to hold that thought, Joe," Fenton said from the doorway. He crossed the room and turned on the TV, changing the channel to the local news station.

"…_it's going to be the biggest snowstorm of the season. Weather experts are predicting a record level of over three feet of snow to start sometime in the late afternoon. If you don't have to go out, don't. Stay at home and get settled in for one dizzying snowstorm. Back to you, Tom."_

Joe swore under his breath and earned a glance from his father, "what?" Joe replied, "This sucks."

"That's very articulate of you, Joe." Frank looked at Nancy, "do you still have the list? Are any of them close enough to get there and back in time?"

Nancy nodded and pulled it out of her pocket, "there's this one, the Seashore Resort that's probably close enough. We might be able to make it there and back before the snow hits."

"That's a lot of 'mights' and 'maybes'. It's kind of risky," Fenton said, "couldn't you guys call these places? Ask questions and _then_ go check them out after the storm passes?"

"I suppose…" Nancy's voice trailed off. You could tell she really didn't want to be stopped from working on the case for what looked like a couple of days.

"We could probably squeeze it in," Joe said hopefully but Frank looked doubtful.

"Look, I don't want to have to postpone the case any more than you guys," he said reluctantly, "but Dad's right. We shouldn't risk it."

Joe and Nancy exchanged a glance. "I say we vote on it," Joe suggested. "All those in favor?" Nancy and Joe raised their hands; Nancy gave Frank an apologetic smile. "All those opposed?" Fenton and Frank raised their hands. "I'm sorry dad, but your vote doesn't count." At Frank's protest Joe shook his head, "it can't count, he's not working on the case."

"Fine," Frank said in frustration, "fine, we'll go but we have to leave right now."

"No arguments there, brother," Joe stood up and stretched his hands to the ceiling. "Do you think we could stop for something to eat first? I'm starving."

"Absolutely not," Frank replied sternly and left the office, leaving a grinning Nancy and Joe to follow.

"He gets so mad when he's outvoted," Joe whispered to Nancy, purposefully making his voice loud enough for Frank to hear.

"I heard that," Frank called from where he was standing in the hallway, "I heard that, just as you intended for me to hear that. Put that on," he commanded and tossed Joe his heavy winter coat. "Here," he held out Nancy's coat to help her into it, "this isn't a very heavy jacket, do you think you should get a warmer one?"

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, we'll be in the car with the heater and we'll be back long before the snow hits," she leaned up to give Frank a reassuring kiss before turning her attention toward buttoning up her coat.

* * *


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Last night I had to go to a party for my old high school newspaper advisor who is leaving that job for a better opportunity. This meant that I had to go and endure two and a half hours of seeing people I haven't seen in four years. ARGH! is the word best used to describe the experience. Anyway, the moral of this story is that I'd like to say, "THANK YOU!" to everyone for the amazing reviews…seriously. When I got home last night I was in a bit of a downer mood…and then, VOILA! Instant pick me up when I opened my e-mail and read everyone's thoughtful reviews. So, thank you thank you thank you. Your reviews really make my day. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 30**

"Where is this stupid place?" Joe whined from the backseat. Nancy chose to ignore him and instead concentrated on driving and looking ahead at the street signs.

"We're supposed to turn right on Seashell Road, right?" she said glancing at Frank.

"Yeah, that's what the directions say," Frank looked at the paper he held in his hands and frowned. "According to the directions we should have hit Seashell road two miles ago."

"My stomach wishes we had hit Seashell road _two-hundred_ miles ago." Joe said dramatically, "I hope they have food at this place."

Frank and Nancy continued to ignore Joe and look at passing road signs, "look at the sky," Nancy murmured and winced. Perhaps leaving on the cusp of a major snow storm wasn't such a great idea.

They were driving down a winding, curving road that on one side was bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other side there was immense expanse of forest. There were a few houses interspersed here and there, but otherwise the road was deserted.

"I think the snow storm is going to hit earlier than expected," Frank murmured as he eyed the angry gray clouds above them.

Nancy felt a sinking feeling in her stomach; she should have trusted Frank's instincts. "Maybe we should go back?" she asked.

"No, come on guys. Where is your sense of adventure?" Joe leaned forward toward the front seat, "It hasn't started snowing yet and chances are we're going to find this place in a matter of minutes. We've come all this way, why would we turn around?"

Frank and Nancy were spared from answering by Joe's triumphant yell, "there it is, Seashell Road, hallelujah!"

Nancy turned right and followed the road up a steep hill until she found herself in a small parking lot. She parked the car and they all climbed out. The Seashore Resort was an adorable sea side home, white with blue shutters and a lovely garden. A part of Nancy could admire the cute little shrubs and the beautifully kept front lawn; it would be a great place for a romantic weekend getaway. However, the most prominent part of Nancy was looking at the building in front of her with a critical eye, assessing it as a possible place Jonathan Krieger might stay the night.

A gust of wind blew across the parking lot, causing Nancy to shiver involuntarily and draw her coat closer around her. The trio made their way up the neat brick walkway and knocked on the front door.

A few moments later an elderly woman answered the door with a warm smile, "Hello! Come in, it's much too cold to be standing outside just now."

"Thank you," Nancy said with a grateful smile and she and the Hardy's stepped into the front hallway of the beach home.

"Are you looking for a room this afternoon?" the woman asked politely.

"Er…" Joe began and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Actually," Frank said, "we were hoping you could help us with something."

"I can try," the woman clasped her hands in front of her and waited patiently.

"I guess I should introduce myself," Frank said, "my name is Frank, this is my brother Joe and this is Nancy Drew."

"Nice to meet all of you," the woman smiled and held out her hand. She shook each of their hands in turn, "My name is Mary Anne. My husband and I run the Seashore Resort."

"It's a lovely place," Nancy said with a smile.

"Thank you, why don't you come on into the kitchen. We'll have a cup of tea to help ward off this cold weather. Then I can see if I can help you." The group followed Mary Anne into the cozy kitchen and took seats at the sturdy wooden table. Mary Anne went about the business of preparing tea and poured it into four mugs. She set them on the table in front of the group and placed a plate of cookies in the middle. "Now, what is it I can help you with?"

Joe reached for a cookie and took a large bite, "Oh, these are good," he mumbled around another large bite of cookie.

"It's a secret recipe," Mary Anne said and winked at Joe.

"Well Mary Anne, thank you so much for inviting us in. We were wondering if you could help us figure out if a man we're looking for stayed here," Frank said and took a sip of his tea.

"Are you detectives?" Mary Anne asked.

"Yes actually, my brother and I are private investigators and Nancy is with the FBI." Frank explained.

"Really?" Mary Anne breathed in excitement, her eyes huge. "I don't mean to sound rude, but…is it just, terribly exciting to be an FBI agent?" she asked Nancy.

Nancy let out a small laugh, "it's not rude at all and yes, it is pretty exciting. I enjoy it."

"I suppose it's nothing like how it really is to be an agent, but I love to watch that show, _Alias_," Mary Anne's eyes sparkled, "Agent Vaughn is dreamy."

Nancy laughed, "Yes, he certainly is," she agreed.

Mary Anne leaned back in her chair, "you'd like to know if someone you're looking for stayed in my home," her brow furrowed, "well, if he's wanted by the FBI then his confidentiality is no concern of mine. Here, I'll grab the register."

Mary Anne stood and left the room, leaving the Hardy's and Nancy to sit alone and take in their surroundings. There was a sliding glass door that led out onto a beautiful porch and a large backyard. Beyond the backyard lay the same forest they had driven along on their way here. As Nancy and Frank studied the backyard, large snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

"Uh oh," Nancy murmured, "we need to get out of here soon."

"Agreed," Frank replied.

A few minutes later and the snow was already starting to stick to the patio and grass and was accumulating rapidly on the patches of old snow. Frank and Nancy exchanged worried glances while Joe reached for another cookie, "these really are the best," he said with his mouth full, "don't tell mom I said that," he added as an afterthought.

"Don't worry bro, your secret is safe with me," Frank said solemnly, earning a glare from his younger brother.

"Where is she?" Nancy whispered when Mary Anne had been gone for nearly fifteen minutes. The snow was already an inch thick and gaining momentum.

No sooner had Nancy said the words than Mary Anne came bustling back into the room, "sorry it took so long!" she cried, "My cousin from upstate just called. She said the snow had already begun up there and they already had 5 inches! We're in for a real big storm. They say it won't last longer than tonight, but I'd hate to be out in this weather. You three don't have far to go, do you?"

"We live in Bayport," Joe replied around a mouthful of cookie.

"Oh dear, that's quite a distance to be traveling in this weather," Mary Anne shook her head then sat back in her seat, "Alright, here's the book for the last month," she pushed the book over to Frank and he peered down at the first page. All of the entries were written in the same careful handwriting with the guest's signature next to the entry, "my husband inputs everything into the computer, but I guess I'm a little more traditional. I like to keep a handwritten account of everything."

"You've been pretty busy," Nancy commented, reading over Frank's shoulder.

"Yes, it's not uncommon to get guests around the holidays, but I'll be the first to admit we've had a record high for it being a winter month. Mostly businessmen just passing through," she shrugged and took a sip of her tea.

Nancy's eyes scanned the entries: Jones, Margaret…Mitchell, Robert…Wheeler, Scott…_Kerry, Jonathan!_ "Look!" Nancy exclaimed and pointed at the entry.

"What?" Joe asked.

"It's John Kerry again," Nancy replied and continued looking down the page "here's another one: Jonathan Knieval," she said excitedly.

"Does this mean that this is another dead end? The fact that the same names were used again?" Frank asked as he pointed at _King, Jonathan._

Nancy looked up at Mary Anne who was frowning slightly, "Mary Anne, we think that these entries were made by a man we're looking for, one man. It was either him or a few of his hired thugs that stayed here. Do you remember what any of these men looked like?" she asked hopefully.

"Now that you're pointing it out…" she murmured and drew the book back across the table "yes, yes!" she said happily, "I knew that these men all looked the same but I wasn't sure. He used a different last name every time he checked in, so I was confused. I'm almost positive that it was the same man."

"Are you sure?" Joe asked.

"Quite sure, I remember who my guests are young man," Mary Anne nodded her head and pushed the book back to Frank.

"If I showed you a picture, would you recognize him?" Nancy asked and reached into her purse.

"Of course," Mary Anne replied simply. Nancy took a picture out of her bag and slid it across the table.

"You have a picture of him?" Frank whispered in Nancy's ear as she leaned across him to show Mary Anne the picture.

"Of course I do, Frank. Do I have to remind you again? I'm an _FBI agent,_" she turned her head to smile at him and he smiled back.

"Yes, that's the one," Mary Anne said nodding at the picture. "The first time he came in by himself, on a business trip. The second and third times he was here he had two men with him. I don't think he stayed the entire night last time, but the two men did."

"Excellent!" Joe cried and pulled the book over to take a look at it himself, "he stayed in the same room each time." Joe murmured as he studied the book, "and the last time he was here was only _two days ago!_"

"Mary Anne, do you have internet here?" Nancy asked.

"Yes actually, we just had the entire house done up so we can do that wires free thing." Mary Anne said proudly. "All of our guests get complimentary internet and they can use it anywhere in the house."

"Thank you so much for all of your help," Frank smiled, "do you mind if we take a look at the room this Jonathan stayed in?"

"Sure," Mary Anne shrugged and stood up from the table, "it's upstairs."

They followed her up the stairs and she stopped at the first door on the right, she unlocked it and stepped aside, "take all the time you need."

"Thank you," Frank said again and led the way into the room. It was tidy, with a homemade quilt spread across the four poster bed and an antique washbasin stood on the dresser opposite the bed.

Nancy walked across the room and examined the bed; she leaned over and pulled up the bed skirt. Finding nothing she straightened and began looking in the bedside table, still nothing. "Hey, look at this!" Frank called from over by the dresser and Joe and Nancy joined him. He pointed at something in the top drawer then reached down and carefully picked it up.

"Here," Nancy said and grabbed a bag from her purse. Most women carried their compacts and lipsticks in their purses, not plastic evidence bags. Nancy happened to carry both. Frank dropped the card into the bag and Nancy sealed it. "It's like the business card they found on Giamatti." Nancy murmured, "Michael sent me a picture of it."

"Something's written on it," Joe pointed, "what does it say?"

"Three days," Frank said, reading the two words.

"Three days? What could that mean?" Nancy asked.

"I have no idea," Frank shrugged, "better put it in your purse and let's keep looking. Their search didn't turn up anything else and soon they found themselves making their way down the stairs in search of Mary Anne.

"Did you guys find anything?" she asked when they found her in the kitchen making a hearty looking soup.

"Not much," Joe replied.

"Again, thank you so much for your help, but I think we really ought to be going now," Frank said, eyeing the snow warily.

"Are you sure?" Mary Anne asked, "It would probably be safer for you to take out rooms here, then try and get home in the morning. It's really nasty out there."

They were making their way down the hallway and to the front door as she said this, each Hardy and Nancy determined to get outside and get home as quickly as possible. Frank pulled open the door and stared, "uh oh."

"What?" Nancy asked from behind him. She walked up to stand next to him and moaned, "great."

In the time it had taken them to search the room the snow had accumulated drastically. The snow was blowing so hard they could barely make out Nancy's car, which was slowly getting buried.

"I told you we should have stayed home," Joe said helpfully and Frank rolled his eyes.

"Well," Frank said, closing the door, "it looks like we _will_ be staying here for tonight," he smiled at Mary Anne, "could we get two rooms please?"

"Hey! What if I want my own room? What if I don't _want_ to share a room with you?" Joe cried indignantly.

"Joe, we're not sharing a room," Frank said simply and handed Mary Anne his credit card to pay for the rooms.

"Huh?" Joe said, clearly confused. "If you think I'm going to sleep in the car…"

"Joe. Think, brother," Frank said, staring at Joe intently.

"Well, what?"

Nancy tried but failed to stifle a laugh, "Joe…"

"Don't!" Frank held up a hand, "let him try and figure it out on his own."

Joe looked back and forth between the grinning Nancy and his smug looking brother, "I don't understand…" then his eyebrows raised and Nancy could all but see the light bulb go off, "oh…OH!" he said, finally understanding. He pointed at Nancy and Frank then back at Nancy, "the two of you…you're dating…share a room…yes, I guess it still hasn't sunk in." Joe shrugged sheepishly.

"It's okay, bro," Frank clapped Joe on the shoulder and laughed. He turned back toward Mary Anne as she handed him his credit card and two sets of keys.

"The rooms are number's 1 and 4 located on the bottom floor. Room one is the first door on the right and room four is two doors down from that on the right," she said with a smile. "Because of extenuating circumstances, I don't expect you to make your way out into that blizzard for dinner; I invite you to dinner with my husband and me. We'll be eating about five o'clock."

"Thank you," Nancy said and followed Frank and Joe down another hallway to their bedrooms.

"I call this one!" Joe cried and ran into the first room, "it's got a huge TV!" he lay down on the bed and got himself comfortable before pulling out his cell phone, "now go away you two, I need to call Vanessa."

Frank closed the door and he and Nancy walked down the hallway to their bedroom, "I hope I didn't overstep anywhere in assuming that we would be getting a room together," Frank said as he unlocked their door.

"Not at all," Nancy smiled and stepped into the room. It was beautifully decorated in soft corals and white. The bed frame was a solid oak and the down comforter looked warm and inviting.

"Well, we're stuck here, now what?" Frank asked.

"I'm going to pull the girlfriend card and ask you to go out to my car for me and grab my bag from the trunk," Nancy smiled sweetly and held out her keys.

Frank grabbed them, "bag? What bag?"

"Never go anywhere without the essentials, Hardy," Nancy smiled.

"Aw, the always prepared Nancy Drew strikes again," Frank leaned down and gave Nancy a kiss, "it's okay, and I'd like to grab my laptop from the car anyway. My computer is something _I _never leave home without."

"Frank Hardy: Computer Nerd," Nancy teased.

"Hey, you happen to like this computer nerd," Frank said with a smile.

"No," Nancy shook her head and leaned up to wrap her arms around Frank's neck, "I happen to _love_ this computer nerd."

"You're such a sap, Drew," Frank laughed when Nancy punched his shoulder, he leaned down and gave her a kiss, "I'll be right back," he said and ducked out of the room.

While Frank was gone Nancy wandered over toward the sliding glass doors that led out onto the back patio. She stood staring at the beautifully falling snow and sighed, _'why is it that Frank and I have found ourselves in such a romantic situation for the least romantic of reasons?'_ she thought silently to herself. She smiled, _'because we're us. Anything else wouldn't be normal.'_

A few minutes later Frank was back with her small overnight bag and his laptop case. She laughed as she brushed the snow off of his shoulders and hair. "Is it snowing?" she asked innocently.

Frank grinned and shook his wet head so that water sprayed all over Nancy, "what do you think?" he asked.

"I think…" Nancy unzipped Frank's jacket and peeled it off, "that we need to…" she unbuttoned her own jacket and took it off, "get a little…" she pulled Frank's sweater up over his head, "warmed up," she finished and pulled off Frank's t-shirt.

"I would have to agree with you, Ms. Drew," Frank replied and slowly backed Nancy up against the bed. He bent his head to give her a deep kiss before pulling her t-shirt over her head and tossing it aside.

* * *

"It's almost time for dinner," Nancy murmured, her head resting on Frank's shoulder, her hand drawing lazy circles on his stomach.

"I know," Frank replied, "you're going to have to stop that," he said stiffly.

"Stop what?" Nancy asked innocently.

"That….with your hand," Frank said through clenched teeth.

"Oh?" Nancy smiled up at him and kissed his tensed jaw, "and why would I want to do that?"

"You'll make us late for dinner," Frank grabbed Nancy's hand and pushed her back onto the bed, "too late, we're going to have to come up with a good excuse," he grinned and lowered his lips to hers.

* * *

"Sorry we're late," Nancy gushed as she and Frank both entered the kitchen at five-ten. "We were talking about the case and we completely lost track of time."

Joe frowned slightly at Nancy's reddened cheeks and Frank's messy hair, "talking about the case?" he asked, "why didn't you call me?"

"Um…" Nancy bit her bottom lip and looked at Frank as they took their seats, "well…"

Joe grinned at his older brother, "Well, Frank?"

"We thought you were probably on the phone with Vanessa," Frank shrugged.

Eager to change the subject Nancy took a deep appreciative sniff of the soup Mary Anne set in front of her, "this smells delicious."

"Thank you," Mary Anne smiled and gestured to the man that Frank and Nancy had barely noticed when they had arrived, "this is my husband Bernie."

"Nice to meet you, Bernie," Frank held out his hand.

"Bernie this is Frank, Joe's brother and Nancy Drew. She's with the FBI," Mary Anne announced triumphantly.

"Nice to meet you," boomed the older man. He was rather robust and his ruddy cheeks were covered with a thick gray beard. "Mary Anne says you got stuck here when the storm hit. Hope you guys enjoy your stay, while it lasts."

"Thank you, I'm sure we will," Nancy replied.

"And so you're with the FBI?" Bernie asked and took a big bite of his soup.

"That's correct," Nancy replied. They spent the rest of the meal talking about the bureau, its similarities and differences between the TV show _Alias_ and about _Hardy and Sons Investigations._

"What incredible lives the three of you have led!" Mary Anne exclaimed as she began to gather the dirty dishes, Nancy rose quickly to help, "thank you, dear."

"I guess our lives have been far from normal," Joe said as he sipped his cup of tea. He had never been much of a tea person, he had always thought of tea as boiled bark and flowers, but this stuff wasn't half bad. Besides, it seemed just right to drink tea and warm his insides when the snow was blowing so furiously outside.

"I remember reading stories about the two of you," Bernie said, pointing at Joe and Frank, "in the newspaper. Did you really stop an international smuggling operation? The whole time afraid that your father had been killed?"

"Yeah," Frank nodded hi head and re-told the story.

When he was finished Bernie shook his head in amazement, "wow, you kids are tough."

"It's time for dessert!" Mary Anne announced. "I've made a fresh pot of tea and we have warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Let's all move to the parlor."

After another hour of conversation, the Hardy's and Nancy excused themselves and gathered in Joe's bedroom. "As much as I like Mary Anne and Bernie, I really hope it clears up enough for us to be able to get back to Bayport tomorrow. I feel cut off," Nancy said as she took a seat on the edge of Joe's bed.

"I know what you mean; I had Vanessa stay with her mother tonight. I don't like the idea of being stuck here, unsure of where Krieger is and Vanessa being all alone in the apartment," Joe leaned against the dresser and folded his arms.

"Did you call mom and dad?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, I talked to dad," Joe grimaced, "he had a great time telling me 'I told you so'. He says it's a good idea that we decided to stay here tonight. I told him we'd call him in the morning and let him know what we planned to do.

"Okay, well…there isn't much we can do until this clears up," Frank motioned toward the silently falling snow outside of Joe's window. "I guess we just call it a night and see what's what in the morning."

"Sounds good," Nancy stood up and walked across the room to stand next to Frank. "Are you going to be okay, Joe?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"There's a _Rambo_ marathon on right now," Joe said with a grin, "I'll be fine."

Nancy and Frank left Joe with his TV and walked back to their bedroom to settle in for the night.

* * *

A few hours later and Nancy turned yet again in the huge comfortable bed. For some reason, she just couldn't fall asleep. Frank had fallen asleep with no problem and was now looking quite peaceful, his head lying on the pillow next to hers. Nancy considered waking him up for a moment and losing herself in his touch again, but thought better of it. It had been a long day and they were both tired, she just needed to concentrate harder on falling asleep.

Nancy adjusted her pillow for what felt like the thousandth time and let out an impatient sigh. She squeezed her eyes shut and started counting slowly, hoping the boring task would lull her into sleep.

After counting all the way to four hundred and sixty-seven, Nancy realized that simple counting wouldn't do the job. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and shivered as she left the warmth of the down comforter. She wrapped the complimentary robe tight around her and walked as quietly as she could toward the bathroom. She flipped on the light, grabbed a cup and took a long drink of water.

She was on her way back to the bed when she paused, had she just seen something in the backyard? She moved quietly to stand next the sliding glass door and peered out at the backyard. She watched quietly for a few moments but she saw no further movement, _'you're just restless, Drew'_ she chided herself, _'chasing shadows that aren't there.'_

She climbed back into her side of the bed and sighed. It wasn't until late that Nancy finally fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your reviews. I really mean it, I love to hear what you guys are thinking and oftentimes your thoughts or comments might help me write a scene (a few of you pointed out that it wasn't like Nancy to jump at shadows….stay tuned at the end of the chapter for an homage to you guys in the form of a comment from Joe!). Thanks again everyone, I think this story is winding down…but don't worry because I'll be jumping right into the next one as soon as this one is finished. I already have the first couple of chapters for the next one all planned out, I'm going to make my stories a part of a series. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 31**

"Nancy, wake up!" Nancy groaned and covered her eyes, "Come on Nancy, it's time to wake up!"

"Goway" Nancy mumbled, "'m tired," but the hand that was gently shaking her refused to stop. Nancy rolled over and opened her eyes a fraction. Frank was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed in his clothes from the day before and looking ready to go. "What?" Nancy whined. She glanced at the bedside table and the alarm clock that sat there told her she had gotten just four hours of not-so-great sleep.

"Wake up! It's snowing outside and school's been canceled," Frank grinned when Nancy rolled her eyes.

"We're not in sixth grade anymore, Hardy," Nancy propped herself up on her elbows and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Nancy looked, bleary eyed, out the sliding glass door, "it's still snowing?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was supposed to end sometime last night but they're saying now it should snow all morning. Looks like we're stuck here for the time being," Frank smiled happily.

"Why are you so happy?" Nancy grumbled and sat up into a sitting position.

"Because, I love the snow," Frank shrugged and leaned in to give Nancy a kiss. "It reminds me of yesteryear," he said in a silly far off voice, "of the days when Joe and I would play outside in the snow for hours. We wouldn't even realize our hands were close to frostbite until Mom would call us back inside and we'd warm up by the fire with hot chocolate. Our hands were barely thawed before we'd run back outside again to play with our friends," Frank sighed wistfully, "Those were the days."

"That's very nice for you," Nancy mumbled.

"Yes, well, then I grew up. There is no such thing as a Snow Day in the real world," Frank glanced out the window, "it's still snowing, so it looks like we're stuck here for a bit longer."

"If we're stuck here, then why in the world did you wake me up at seven am?" Nancy crossed her arms across her chest in indignation.

"I was bored, couldn't sleep," Frank shrugged again.

"Oh, really?" Nancy raised an eyebrow and tried to look stern.

"Yep, so…now that you're awake, what would you like to do?"

"Go back to sleep," Nancy replied promptly and Frank laughed.

Leaning over to give her another kiss he smiled, "you have morning breath."

Nancy cried out and smacked Frank's arm, "I'm going back to bed!" she flung herself back onto the bed and turned so she was facing away from Frank.

"Aw, come on Nancy…" Frank leaned over to give her a kiss on her cheek, "I was just joking,"

"Well, obviously you don't know the meaning of the word 'joking', because we should both be laughing," Nancy pulled the covers up around her and squeezed her eyes shut, "now go away, I'm sleeping."

"No you're not," Frank put his hand under the covers and tickled Nancy's side. Nancy screamed with laughter, "Ah, you learn something new everyday. You're ticklish."

"I…am…not!" Nancy said, breathless with laughter. She pushed Frank off her and scrambled to the other side of the bed, "Okay, okay…I'm up!" she stood up on the other side, the entire bed separating them.

"I'm beginning to rethink my position, I'd like it if you'd get back in bed," Frank smiled mischievously at Nancy.

"No way, you wanted me up, now I'm up," Nancy brushed her hair out of her face and looked around, "I'm taking a shower," she decided.

"Excellent," Frank said and made his way around the bed toward her.

Nancy laughed and held up a hand, "alone."

Frank groaned and sat on the bed, "you ruin all of the fun," he grumbled.

"You're the one who woke me up at seven in the morning," Nancy pointed out.

"Fine," Frank said and grabbed the remote, "I'll be here when you're done," he turned on the TV and started flipping channels.

"If I come out and you're watching Saturday Morning cartoons I am going to be very disappointed," Nancy said and ducked into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Nancy stepped out of the bathroom wearing the complimentary robe. She towel dried her hair as she stepped out of the bathroom, "you know, Frank," she said, her head bent over so she was staring at her feet, "last night I got up to get a drink of water…" Nancy flipped her head over and stared at the bed. Frank was asleep. Nancy forgot completely about telling Frank about the shadow she had thought she had seen the night before.

"Oh geez," she whispered and then grinned evilly. She walked quietly over to the bed and leaned over, so her lips were within an inch of Frank's ear. "Frank!" she said loudly, "get up!"

Frank sat bolt upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed, "I'm up! I'm up! What's going on?"

Nancy laughed, "You fell asleep. I decided to wake you up."

"Okay, okay," Frank said and rubbed a hand against his rapidly beating heart, "I deserved that I guess."

"Oh yeah," Nancy replied. They both looked over when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Nancy called.

Mary Anne stuck her head inside the door, "I heard voices, I figured you guys were awake," she said with a smile. "It looks like you guys are going to be here for awhile, so I figured I'd bring you this." Mary Anne walked further into the room, a pair of jeans a t-shirt and a sweater in her hands. "They're my son Robert's and he's just about your size. You can wear them while I wash your other things, if you like."

"Wow, thank you!" Frank said, taking the clothes.

"Not a problem," Mary Anne smiled, "I left clothes for your brother outside his bedroom; he's still sawing logs."

Frank laughed, "That's Joe."

"You can bring your dirty things down to the laundry room, the room just off of the kitchen, when you're ready." Mary Anne smiled and walked back toward the door, "we'll probably be eating in about an hour or so."

"Thank you so much, Mary Anne. For everything," Nancy said sincerely.

"I'm sorry I don't have a daughter, so I can't give you anything new to wear. If you'd like, you could try something of mine," Mary Anne offered.

"Oh, thank you…but I have a change of clothes. I'm worse than a Boy Scout, always prepared," Nancy smiled.

After Mary Anne closed the door behind her Frank took off his day old clothes and put on the borrowed jeans and dark gray pullover. "One thing is for sure," Nancy said as she examined the clothing, "Mary Anne's son is a much snazzier dresser than you are. Wow, is that a Ralph Lauren pullover?" Nancy reached up to examine the tag.

"Hey!" Frank said shrugging out of the way, "I know who Ralph and Lauren are."

"It's 'is', Frank. Ralph Lauren is one person." Nancy smiled at Frank.

"Huh? The guy's last name is Lauren?"

"Yes," Nancy replied.

"Odd," Frank shrugged and muttered, "ask me who Steve Jobs is and I've got you covered, but designers," Frank made the motion of something going over his head and Nancy laughed.

"Who's Steve Jobs?" she asked sweetly and wrapped her arms around Frank's neck.

"You don't know who Steve…" Frank began in amazement but Nancy cut him off.

"Is this cashmere?" she asked excitedly and ran her hand over the soft fabric, "Are you seriously wearing cashmere? Turn around, I want to look at that tag," Nancy snapped her fingers and made a twirling motion with her fingers, "come on, Hardy."

Frank rolled his eyes but obliged and bent his knees a little so Nancy could get a better look, "wow, this was one expensive sweater," Nancy whistled and tucked the tag back in.

"Expensive?" Frank asked, "Like how expensive?"

"I saw one similar to this at the Ralph Lauren store in New York City for just over three-hundred dollars," Nancy stroked her hand down the sleeve.

"WHAT!?" Frank spluttered, completely surprised. He gripped the bottom of the sweatshirt and began to pull the sweatshirt off.

"Oh stop it," Nancy pulled his hands away and smoothed the sweatshirt back down.

"This is a three-hundred dollar sweatshirt, Nancy," Frank said incredulously, "I spend three-hundred dollars on an entire new wardrobe."

"Relax," Nancy said "You look great in it."

Frank groaned, "You're not going to make me start buying Ralph Lauren pullovers are you? I'm trying to save up for a house you know."

Nancy laughed, "You may look great, but you don't really look one-hundred percent yourself. I prefer the Macy's brand anyway."

"Good," Frank sighed in relief, "because as expensive as this thing is, it's not that comfortable," Frank yanked on the collar of the shirt.

"Don't stretch it out!" Nancy laughed and leaned up to give Frank a kiss, "look on the bright side, imagine what Joe is going to look like in his fancy duds."

Frank grinned.

* * *

"No comments," Joe muttered as he took a seat at the kitchen table for breakfast a short while later. Joe had on a pair of dark blue jeans, a white collared shirt and a pullover argyle sweater in dark blue. He looked _extremely_ preppy.

"Is that argyle?" Nancy asked incredulously, "you look like page six of the J Crew catalogue."

"I said; no comments," Joe said, his face flushing a deep shade of crimson.

Frank sat down in the chair opposite his brother and smiled, "you're pretty."

"Quiet!" Joe moaned and Nancy and Frank laughed. They passed a pleasant hour drinking coffee and eating breakfast with Bernie and Mary Anne as the snow continued to fall silently.

After the dishes had been done everyone sat back around the table over a fresh cup of coffee, "It seems to be slowing down," Frank commented as he stared out at the backyard.

"Yeah," Joe agreed and noticed that Nancy was staring at him oddly, "what?"

"I'll be right back," she said and dashed out of the room. She returned a few moments later with her camera.

"What…are you doing with _that?_" Joe asked nervously.

"It's for posterity," Nancy replied, and snapped a picture.

"No, no, no," Joe waved his hand and attempted to grab the camera out of Nancy's hands, "no," he said again.

"Vanessa would _love_ to see these," Nancy said laughing and snapped another picture of Joe and then one of Frank.

Joe reached across the table to try and get the camera once again, "Frank, she's _your_ girlfriend, stop her!"

"Sorry bro," Frank shrugged, "she knows secret Karate moves taught to her by the government, I'm not messing with that."

Mary Anne laughed, "They do look pretty adorable, don't they?"

Soon the Hardy's got into the spirit of the thing and were posing for Nancy's camera. Mary Anne rushed out of the room and returned with two designer jackets, "put these over your shoulders."

"Whoa," Joe commented as he fingered the fine leather of the jacket, "your son has expensive taste."

Mary Anne shrugged, "he's a fancy lawyer in a fancy law firm in New York City." Nancy smiled, she may have acted like it was no big deal but Nancy could hear the pride in her voice.

They spent a few more moments taking silly pictures until Bernie walked into the room wearing a large parka and a knit cap. "I'm going to go outside and try to unbury the wood pile, chop some new stuff and bring in some dry," he announced in his booming voice.

"Here, we'll help," Frank said and handed the expensive jacket back to Mary Anne gingerly as if he was afraid it would rip.

"Yeah, we'll just grab our own jackets and be right out." Joe said, handing his jacket back to Mary Anne.

"You boys don't have to help, you're guests here," Mary Anne said as she took the coats and laid them over the arm of the couch.

"Now Mary Anne don't be hasty, it's not very often I get two young, strapping lads out here to give me a hand, Lord knows Robert doesn't like to get calluses. I'll be out back, when you're ready," he said to the Hardy's and left the room.

"Don't feel obligated…" Mary Anne began.

"We offered," Frank said smiling and he and Joe traipsed out of the room to grab their heavy winter jackets.

"Well honey, I guess that just leaves us girls," Mary Anne turned to smile at Nancy, "what would you like to do? I'm afraid I can't offer much in the way of entertainment. We have chess, that's about it."

"Chess it is," Nancy said with a smile.

As they sat at the antique table with the grand marble chess set Nancy couldn't help but be fascinated by Mary Anne's stories. Mary Anne told her about being a young girl growing up during World War 2 and watching her older brother lie about his age so he could enlist in the Marines. "He came back a changed man," Mary Anne smiled softly, "for a long time we thought he wouldn't get over the horrors he had seen at such a young age, but eventually he was able to move on, or move on as much as being a part of war will allow you to. He opened his own bakery, a passion he had never told any of us about until one day, voila! James had a bakery. His sons are running it now, while James enjoys a happy retirement with his wife Val in Florida."

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" Nancy asked as she watched Mary Anne capture her knight.

"There were seven of us," Mary Anne replied thoughtfully as she examined the Chess board.

"Seven?" Nancy asked, amazed. She was so distracted she made a bad move and Mary Anne captured her bishop.

"Yes, four boys and three girls. Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"No, I'm an only child," Nancy replied.

"Ah, I often wondered what it would be like to be an only child. My own room, _brand new_ shoes and no pesky older brothers to chase away all of the boys," she said, her eyes twinkling, "although," she added more seriously, "I can imagine it could get very lonely."

"It wasn't so bad," Nancy shrugged, "my father was around, as well as our housekeeper Hannah and I had two very close friends, practically sisters."

Mary Anne smiled, "nothing like best friends who cross the line into sisterhood."

"Well said," Nancy smiled back and watched as Mary Anne quickly and efficiently won the game.

"That was fun," Mary Anne leaned back and pushed her glasses back up her nose, "I can never get Bernie to play with me."

"I can see why!" Nancy chuckled, "you're very good at this," she said, putting the pieces back in their places on the board.

"Another byproduct of being one in seven children, you had to be good at every game or you lost. A lot," Mary Anne smiled and stood up, "what do you say? Shall we fix a hot lunch for our hard working boys?"

Nancy looked at the clock, it was already almost lunchtime! She looked out the window and noticed that the snow had finally stopped, "that sounds like an excellent idea," she said and followed Mary Anne into the kitchen.

"Snowy days always make me think of grilled cheese sandwiches and hot tomato soup," Mary Anne said, grabbing a fresh loaf of bread out of the bread basket, "here, you slice this," she said handing Nancy the bread, "and tell me about that delicious boyfriend of yours."

Nancy laughed, 'it's a very long story."

"That's alright, homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches take a long time to make," Mary Anne said with a smile and began measuring ingredients into a pot.

* * *

"The two of you met in the middle of the snowy street?" Mary Anne asked, tears in her eyes, "oh that is so romantic!" she turned back to the pot of simmering soup and sniffled, "just, so romantic."

"I know," Nancy smiled, "I never knew I was that type of girl until Frank drove past me on that suburban street."

"What a long time to wait, my dear, five years plus is a long time," Mary Anne smiled. "When I saw Bernie I thought to myself, 'now there is a handsome man, I'd like to marry him', luckily he felt the same way. It was a whirlwind romance that's lasted fifty-five years."

"Fifty-five years?" Nancy asked in amazement as she flipped one of the grilled cheese sandwiches, "congratulations!"

"Thank you, it's been fun, let me tell you," Mary Anne shook her head, "it hasn't been without its dark times, its twists and turns, but we always made it through. Let me tell you something, in this day and age divorce seems to be the answer to every damn thing," she pulled bowls out of the cupboard and spoons out of the drawer, "you don't ever go to bed angry, keep things spicy and always work through your problems. You'll make it just fine in a marriage as long as there is communication and respect. Keeping things spicy in the bedroom doesn't hurt either." Mary Anne winked and Nancy threw her head back and laughed.

"I like you Mary Anne," Nancy said and set the finished sandwiches on plates.

"I like you too," Mary Anne said with a smile. She opened the back sliding door and called outside, "boys! Lunch time!"

A few minutes later and Bernie, Frank and Joe stepped inside the back door and took off their wet jackets chuckling, "I swear, it's true!" Bernie cried.

"What's true?" Nancy asked with a smile.

"Never mind," Bernie flushed in embarrassment, "boy talk," he mumbled and leaned over to give his wife a quick kiss.

"Alright everyone, sit down and eat while it's still hot," Mary Anne set the last two bowls of soup on the table and everyone dug in with gusto.

"This is delicious," Joe mumbled and he took another bite of the soup.

"It's homemade," Nancy informed him and Joe's eyes grew huge.

"Homemade? Wow," he looked down at his bowl with a newfound look of respect.

A few moments later Frank pushed his bowl aside and wiped his lips with his napkin, "thank you ladies, for a great lunch. I haven't eaten this good in a long time."

"I second that," Joe said as he finished off his second bowl of soup.

"I had an idea," Frank said turning to Nancy, "something about the case."

"Okay, after you do the dishes we can talk about it," Nancy said smiling.

"Hey!" Joe said from across the table, "is this the case where I get to join in the conversation or the one where I go and call my fiancé?"

"Shut up Joe," Frank said lightly and stood up to clear his place. He grabbed Bernie's empty bowl and plate on his way to the sink.

"Hey, considering recent events I think it's a legitimate question!" Joe laughed.

"Shut up Joe," Nancy said sweetly and added, "and you can help Frank with the dishes."

Joe grimaced and stood to grab his plate. He reached over and grabbed Nancy's now empty plate as well as Mary Anne's, "thank you," she said and Joe smiled at her as he walked to the sink.

Mary Anne leaned across the table, "I would usually protest at the idea of having guests clean up after themselves this way, but those boys are so cute in those sweaters doing dishes, I just can't!" she whispered in such a way it sounded like she was in confession. Nancy laughed.

* * *

"Okay," Frank said, closing the door to Joe's room behind him. Joe and Nancy each took seats and waited for Frank to explain. Frank pulled out his laptop, which he had grabbed from his and Nancy's bedroom before joining them in Joe's bedroom. "What I was thinking was this: what if I tried to see what sort of messages Krieger was receiving while he was here?"

"You can do things like that?" Joe asked the surprise clearly evident in his voice.

Frank shrugged, "Phil taught me."

"How is that even possible?" Nancy asked.

"You really don't want me to explain it," Frank said shaking his head, "it'll just bore you. The short of it is that I can access their wireless port and see what kind of information is stored on it. Even if its wireless, the information has to travel somewhere and most information leaves an imprint on the wireless device…"

Joe cut Frank off, "that's the short of it? Just do it, bro."

Frank smiled and set the computer on the desk, he waited patiently for it to start up. "Okay," he murmured and his fingers flew across the keyboard and he muttered incoherently to himself.

Nancy leaned over and whispered loudly to Joe, "it's so sexy when he uses his computer."

Joe groaned, "What in the world makes you think I'd want to hear something like that?"

Nancy shrugged and sat up straight again, "I had to tell somebody and you were readily available."

"Guys," Frank called out and had Joe and Nancy turning to focus their attention on Frank. "I feel a little bad; a lot of this information are websites that Mary Anne and Bernie visit."

"Ooh! Like what?" Joe asked eagerly and stood up to read over Frank's shoulder, "JcPenny…ESPN; atta boy Bernie…Hallmark…AOL…where's the good stuff?" Joe asked disappointed.

"Joe, they're in their seventies," Frank chuckled.

"Well, you never know!" Joe replied indignantly.

"Ah ha!" Frank said and pointed at the screen, "here we go!" he clicked a few more buttons and soon he had a list of messages onscreen. "Yes!" he cried.

"Way to go Frank!" Joe clapped his brother on the shoulder and Nancy came over as Frank clicked on the first message.

"_All is going according to plan_," Frank read out loud. "_Giamatti captured. Hardy's and Drew found business card. More later_."

Joe swore under his breath. Nancy grimaced, "they _wanted_ us to find that business card?"

"That's what it looks like," Frank groaned and leaned back in his chair. He clicked on the second message.

This time, Joe read it out loud, "_Delivered message to N.D._" was all it said.

"That must mean the note that was left in my pocket at the rental house," Nancy said.

"Yeah," Frank agreed and clicked on the third message, "_It's confirmed, they're moving. Only a matter of time. Three days at most._"

"What does that mean?" Joe asked

"That business card said three days on it," Nancy remembered, "I wonder what's confirmed."

The rest of the messages didn't offer any enlightening clues and so Nancy, Frank and Joe sat around and talked about all of the possibilities the last message could mean. After coming up with nothing much they sat in silence for a few moments. Suddenly, Nancy remembered something, "Oh, I forgot to tell you this morning Frank," and she proceeded to tell Frank and Joe about the shadow she had thought she had seen late last night.

"Nancy, you don't jump at shadows," Joe said seriously. "Who would be out in this kind of weather?"

"Oh, I don't know," Frank said, "A homicidal maniac hell-bent on making all of us pay for putting him in jail for trying to blow up an American Senator?"

"Wow, Frank. I'm not used to hearing you use sarcasm." Joe applauded his brother, "well done."

Frank ignored his brother and turned to Nancy, "why didn't you wake me up?"

Nancy shrugged, "I thought I had imagined it. I was exhausted and frustrated from being unable to fall asleep."

Frank was about to protest when Joe said thoughtfully, "I don't have a very good feeling about this."

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked.

"I just feel like we've played into Krieger's hands somehow. The business card, the message saying 'they're moving'…it's all adding up to a bad feeling." Joe looked at his brother with a worried expression on his face. "I think we're sitting ducks."

* * *

**I have no idea if that computer thing Frank did is even possible, but I wouldn't be surprised in this day and age. Having recently had to clean my entire computer of malicious software and spyware, I have a new found respect for technology and just how "private" it really is.**


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: This was supposed to be posted MUCH earlier but the site wouldn't let me log in! ARGH! Anyway, this beginning bit is going to be a little on the long-ish side because I wanted to personally thank everyone who left a review...sooooo...if you don't want to read it all, feel free to just skip ahead! I mean, who's going to make you read all of that, anyway? Not me! YAY! (I'm _veeerrrrry_ tired right now)

MissMel13: I know what you mean about the internet, when I realized how much spyware and malware was on my computer I had a small panic attack! Thank you, I always love your enthusiastic reviews!

Bookworm2009: thank you so much for your review, I say it all the time…but I'll say it again! They really make my day!

Whitetigers: I was a little shocked at the price of that sort of pullover myself, but I looked at the Ralph Lauren website and…sure enough! I don't know what I would do if I ever spent three hundred dollars on a sweater. Yikes!

Rini: I loved your review! The whole reason I wrote in that Frank and Joe had to dress that way was so that I could picture them in preppy clothes for once. Our boys are so handsome they'd look good in anything, but I knew the only way I'd get Joe to wear something like that would be if he had no other choice!

Leila91: I seriously debated whether or not to have Nancy pour water on Frank…but the story seemed to move on without me writing that in…it would have been funny though!

Franknjoe: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you liked the preppy bit; I liked the idea of Joe in argyle too!

Maggierose17: I agree with you, I love that line too! I actually got that idea from my own brothers. One was going to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time and she had 'helped' him get dressed…the end result had my other brother dropping the classic, "you're pretty," line complete with an impish grin. :)

EstellaB: I like to write chunks of the story where Frank, Joe and Nancy aren't talking/doing things about the case the entire time. I think it's slightly unrealistic that they would talk about a case 24/7. :) I'm glad to hear that you enjoy those bits! I certainly enjoy writing them! (If I had to be completely honest, I almost enjoy writing the bits _without_ the mystery more than the parts _with _mystery! Horrible, I KNOW!). Thank you for reading and reviewing!

KCS: I'm glad you agree with me! Something about the image of Frank, leaning over his computer and working his magic…so hot!

Red Hardy: I was having a hard time logging in too…grr…!! Anyway, I always love getting your reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed the funny bits; I just couldn't resist the idea of getting Joe into argyle. :) Evil of me, I know...but who can resist putting the boys in prep wear? I mean, _really._ lol.

Cherylann Rivers: Thank you for your reviews and your compliments! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy the Nancy/Frank relationship. It's a relationship I've been rooting for, for YEARS and I'm so happy now that I get to really explore it. :)

Ginny75: thank you, I am so glad to hear that you're enjoying the story!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 32**

"Why the glum faces?" Mary Anne asked that night at dinner, "It can't be that bad, being stuck here with us for another night."

"That's not it," Frank hastened to assure the older woman, "we've really enjoyed our time here."

"Then what's got you three looking so forlorn?" Bernie took a seat at the table and put his napkin on his lap.

"Well," Joe exchanged glances with Nancy and Frank before continuing, "We think we may have put you in some serious danger."

"What do you mean?" Mary Anne asked and took her seat at the table. Instead of looking alarmed she looked quite excited. She passed Frank the rolls, "what sort of danger?"

"Mary Anne, this is not an episode of Alley-whatever. What can we do?" Bernie asked Nancy and the Hardy's.

"I know it's not an episode of _Alias, _Bernie," Mary Anne replied scornfully, "but it does sound pretty exciting, doesn't it?"

Frank shook his head, "I'm afraid your husband has the right idea Mary Anne," and he proceeded to explain as much as he could about Krieger and his obsession with them.

"Well," Bernie leaned back in his chair for a moment, "this sounds like a rather serious circumstance. Have you called your FBI about your suspicions?" Bernie asked Nancy.

"I have, but they're pretty stuck by all of this snow too and unwilling to do anything until they have to," Nancy shrugged, "no use sending agents in to rescue us when there's no point and it will be just as hard for Krieger to reach us as it will be for the FBI. Maybe Krieger will be delayed too, because of the snowstorm"

"We're so sorry we put you in this situation," Frank said earnestly, "we really had no idea."

"I don't believe you asked that man to terrorize you, my boy," Bernie said sternly.

"Well, no…" Frank's voice trailed off.

"And I don't believe you told that man to stay in my home, base his operations here off and on over the course of a month in order to mess with your heads, did you?" Bernie asked.

"No, but…" Frank tried again.

"Exactly my point," Bernie said and began to cut into his pork chops with the air that he considered the conversation to be over.

"We want you two to be on your toes at all times," Nancy said, "don't go outside alone and don't answer the door to strangers."

"Honey, we run an Inn," Mary Anne pointed out.

"I know, but don't answer the door unless someone else is with you, at the very least," Nancy replied.

"Oh, all right. Not that we'll be getting any guests in this weather." Mary Anne nodded toward the two feet of snow outside the window.

"Some of it melted a little this afternoon," Bernie mentioned conversationally, "but it will freeze up again tonight. You guys might be able to shovel your way out of here tomorrow."

And so, the conversation turned from suspected danger to snow removal techniques. Even with the change in conversation Frank, Nancy and Joe couldn't help but stay worried for the safety of their two hosts.

When the dinner dishes were finished and before everyone headed off to their respective bedrooms to get ready for bed, Nancy reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a card. "If anything happens, anything at all, I want you to call these two numbers," she said, holding it out for Mary Anne to accept. "The first number is my partner's at the Bureau, his name is Michael. No, he doesn't look anything like Agent Vaughn," Nancy said with a smiled, anticipating Mary Anne's question. "The second number is Fenton Hardy's personal line. Tell both of them any information you know and _hide yourselves,"_ Nancy stressed the last part carefully, wanting to make sure both Bernie and Mary Anne understood.

Mary Anne took the card from Nancy slowly, "okay, we can do that but there's one condition: don't go trying to find trouble. I don't want to have any reason to call these people."

"We'll try," Frank replied with a rueful smile. _'We can try, but trouble always seems to find _us, _not the other way around.'_

* * *

Outside in the frigid winter the man stood in the shadow of the forest and watched the house. The lights were still on in the kitchen, no one had gone to bed yet. He blew on his frozen fingers and motioned toward his companion, who walked over slowly.

"This damn snow," he muttered under his breath, "ruining all of the plans."

"It's okay," the other one replied serenely, "it all chalks up to suffering somehow, some way."

"Yeah, but today was going to be…" the first man shivered.

"I know what it was going to be!" the second man snarled, "not to worry, we'll cause a little stir tonight and save the finale for when the conditions are in our favor."

"I'd say they're pretty much in our favor now, boss," the first man whispered, "The snow cuts them off pretty effectively."

"Yes," the other man answered in a highly annoyed voice, "but it also cuts _us_ of pretty effectively," the man rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the man with him. Men like him weren't paid for their smarts.

"No, tonight we play a little trick, watch them cringe then figure something out after all of this bloody snow melts," the man kicked at a snow covered bush in disdain.

"It's your call," the first man said with a shrug.

"Exactly right, it's my call," the other man watched as the kitchen lights winked off and the lights in three different windows turned on. "It's almost time," he said gleefully, "it will be nice to finally get to do something to those irritants personally."

* * *

"I think tomorrow we should try and get out of here," Joe said as he, Nancy and Frank made their way to their rooms. "I don't like the idea of us putting Bernie and Mary Anne in danger."

"I hear you," Frank said nodding, "they've been nothing but nice to us. The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

"Agreed," Nancy said as they paused outside the door to Joe's bedroom.

Frank reached down and plucked at the pullover he was still wearing, "and it will be nice to wear my own clothes again."

"Believe me; it will be nice to _see_ you in your own clothes. All day today I was expecting you to ask me if I'd like to go sailing with you and the Regatta Club," Joe smiled as he put his hands in his pockets.

Frank rolled his eyes, "nice one, brother. I'm guessing you expect me to come back now with a witty retort. However, I will have to disappoint you because I will be taking the high road and therefore will not be commenting on your own sweater combination. I will in no way mention the fact that _your_ sweater makes you look like Richard Vandyke."

Nancy looked from Frank to Joe in confusion, "who is Richard Vandyke?"

Joe was too offended to answer however and so Frank explained, "Richard Vandyke was a guy in our class in High School. He was…interesting. He was always at the height of fashion and would sometimes take pretty…dramatic risks. He once showed up to school wearing sparkly jeans with rhinestones on the seams and pink tennis shoes."

"Really?" Nancy asked incredulously, _"really?"_ she repeated.

"Yup," Frank replied.

"Take it back," Joe said the horror clearly evident in his voice. "I…I never…I can't…"

"I think you'd look great in pink tennis shoes," Nancy commented lightly and tilted her head as if she were picturing it, "Oh yeah," she nodded, "definitely."

"Good night, bro!" Frank called and he and Nancy walked down the hall, leaving Joe standing in frozen shock behind them.

"To tell you the truth," Frank said when he closed the door to their room, "Vandyke never wore something quite as subdued as Joe's sweater, he would have jazzed it up with a tasteful sequined scarf and flared jeans with maybe a sequined hat to match. It was just the perfect opportunity, I couldn't resist."

Nancy laughed, "Poor Joe, he's probably still standing in the hallway, spluttering."

"He'll be okay. As soon as he gets in his room he'll take the sweater off and turn on sports or something to regain his masculinity. He bounces back quickly," Frank leaned over and gave Nancy a quick kiss, "speaking of taking off sweaters. I'm going to take this thing off and take a shower. Care to join me?"

"I took a shower this morning, I'm good," Nancy laughed at Frank's disappointed expression. "You'll live, Hardy."

"Barely," Frank muttered but walked to the bathroom all the same taking off the sweater and the shirt under it as he went. He stopped at the bathroom door and turned, "are you sure? Does the sight of my manly chest make you want to change your mind?" he asked in a teasing voice.

Nancy gulped, in fact, the sight of his manly chest _did_ make her want to change her mind, but she resisted. She wanted to call Michael and her father and Frank taking a shower was the perfect opportunity to do so without any distractions. "No," Nancy replied firmly after a few moments of hesitation.

Frank laughed, "You wanted to say yes, I could see it."

"Oh, just take your shower!" Nancy cried and Frank laughed as he closed the bathroom door.

Nancy was smiling as she reached for her cell phone and dialed her father's number. Carson Drew answered on the second ring, "Drew residence."

"Hi Dad," Nancy said warmly, "I'm glad I didn't wake you up."

"What do you mean, wake me up? It's only nine o'clock here, I'm not an old man you know," Carson laughed.

"I know! I just thought that maybe you'd be sleeping," Nancy sat on the edge of the bed and passed an enjoyable few minutes talking to her father, assuring him she was still alive and well and catching up on some of the hometown gossip.

"Are they really putting in a Crate and Barrel?" Nancy asked in amazement as she stared out the sliding glass door. The moonlight cast a beautiful light on the snow outside.

"That's what the rumor mill is reporting, right here at the River Heights mall."

"Wow, River Heights with a Crate and Barrel, how exciting," Nancy smiled. Her smile froze when she saw a shadow move outside, "sorry Dad, I have to go. My battery is about to die," she lied quickly.

"Oh, of course. I love you Nancy," her father replied.

"I love you too," Nancy replied quickly. She said goodbye and closed her phone, staring intently out into the dark backyard. _'There!'_ she saw the shadow, for sure this time, by the thick forest on the edge of the yard. She reacted quickly; she shoved her feet into her tennis shoes and threw on her jacket _'I should have worn my thicker jacket!'_ she thought ruefully to herself and began to unlock the sliding door.

The sound of the shower stopped her, _'you're not alone, Drew. Get Frank!'_ with a sigh of frustration and checking to see if the shadowing figure was still standing where she had seen him she walked quickly to the bathroom.

She opened the bathroom door just as Frank was wrapping a towel around his waist, "you're too late…" he started but stopped when he noted her expression, "what is it?" he said and walked over to stand in front of her.

"There's someone out there!" she said urgently

"I'll get dressed," Frank said and reached for the clothes that Mary Anne had washed for him earlier.

Nancy walked over to peer out the sliding door again, "he's moving!" she cried and unlatched the lock.

"Wait for me!" Frank ordered as he tried to shove his wet leg into his jeans.

"Frank, there isn't time," Nancy said and turned, "get Joe, I'll follow him."

"Nancy!" Frank called out but Nancy was already out the door. Frank cursed and buttoned up his jeans. He threw on his shirt and sweater and grabbed his thick winter coat. He dialed Joe's number on his phone as he shoved his feet into his boots.

"First off, I just want to say that in no way do I resemble Richard Van…" Joe said answering his phone.

"Joe!" Frank interrupted, "Nancy saw someone outside and she went after him!" there was a hint of the panic Frank felt in his voice as he rounded the bed and reached into the closet to pull out the case he and Nancy had stored their guns in. His heart dropped when he realized she hadn't taken hers with her, "and she's unarmed. What kind of agent goes running outside after a possible crazy man without their gun?" he said angrily.

"An agent like Nancy," Joe replied grimly.

"They train 'em well up there at Quantico," Frank said dryly.

"I'll meet you outside," Joe said.

"Hurry," Frank grabbed both of the guns and shoved Nancy's in the back of his jeans waistband.

Frank ran outside just as Joe came careening out, one arm in his jacket and trying desperately to get the other arm in. "Which way did they go?"

"This way," Frank said and led Joe toward the edge of the forest.

* * *

Krieger stood in the woods and watched the lights go on in the house. He was snapped out of his trance when his hired man hissed, "boss! I think that girl's seen me!"

"What?" Krieger hissed back.

"Yeah, I was standing at the edge of the woods and I think she saw me!"

Krieger swore, there went his plans to cause a little trouble and disappear into the night. "Are the others with her?"

"I didn't see them," the man replied.

Krieger smiled and thought quickly. They might be able to pull off the big finale tonight, after all.

* * *

**There was a boy at my good ol' Alma Mater...who I suppose should remain nameless, that dressed just like Robert Vandyke. Only worse. I'm serious. Much, much, MUCH worse. He once wore a neon pink Britney Spears belly shirt, short _short_ jean shorts with rhinestones, bright yellow socks and purple Keds. I KID YOU NOT. The funny thing is that I think he is now some major fashion guru in Milan or wherever. ...shudder... Also, I hope no one totally hates the fact that Nancy forgot her gun...I mean, it could happen, right? We'll just say that she's so used to having it on her at all times that she just didn't think about it...or something. :)  
**


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Thank you all for understanding why Nancy left on her own. I figured: a) she's used to working alone, she's never had the sort of partnership that the Hardy brother's have and b) she left because Frank was a little…incapacitated…and the figure was moving, she didn't want to lose him.

Anyway, glad nobody was _too_ upset by it…I mean, even the best trained FBI agents make mistakes sometimes. :) Well, hope you all enjoy this chapter and _please_, please don't be too upset at the horrible writing. I'm in one of those funks where _everything _I write comes out _horrible._ I call it the Un-Creative Writing Mind Melt and I suffer from it once or twice every couple of months. :)

**Second Chances **

**Chapter 33**

Nancy crept along the back wall of the house, keeping her eyes on the quickly moving figure in the woods. When she reached the edge of the house Nancy darted out from the shadow of the house and ran into the forest. She took a moment to search for the figure but could no longer see it.

Standing very still Nancy listened hard to the sounds of the forest. She heard a faint crackling sound off to her left and began moving as quickly and silently as possible. She stopped again when she realized that the noise she was making was the only sound in the dark woods.

Nancy shivered and wished fleetingly for a warmer jacket than her pea coat and noticed that the snow was beginning to seep through her tennis shoes. She felt a moment of embarrassment at her underprepared clothing before she heard a twig snap to her right. She whipped her head around to face the noise and tried to still her rapidly beating heart.

She reached for her gun and froze, _'I forgot my gun!'_ Nancy thought panicking, _'seriously? I forgot my _gun?' Nancy mentally smacked herself on the forehead, _'what kind of a ditz are you?'_ Nancy was stopped from berating herself anymore however by the sudden appearance of two men. One of them was holding a very menacing looking gun and the other was, "Jonathan Krieger," Nancy said, her voice full of contempt.

"Nancy, you don't sound so happy to see me, not too happy at all," Krieger grinned evilly but did not move.

"Nancy?" Frank's voice called out softly from close by.

"Jones, keep them busy," Krieger muttered under his breath, "try not to kill them, I'd like the pleasure of doing that myself…but if you have to, do it."

Nancy glared at Krieger and couldn't help but feel utterly defenseless as the man pulled out a gun of his own from his thick jacket pocket.

A few minutes later Nancy heard the gunshots: two of them.

* * *

Frank and Joe entered the woods cautiously. Years of working together had them covering each other's back effortlessly and they were able to communicate with a glance. Joe followed Frank's lead because he knew that his brother needed to be in control. It was obvious that the older Hardy was having a hard time managing his fear for Nancy. Joe's eyes scanned through the darkened trees looking for any signs of Nancy or the figure she had chased into the woods.

"I can't hear her," Frank whispered.

"I know," Joe nodded, "if she were moving we'd be able to hear her."

"Should we risk calling out for her?" Frank asked

"You could try it," Joe shrugged and listened hard to the silence around him.

"Nancy?" Frank called out softly. The silence was so deafening it sounded like he was shouting.

Joe and Frank stood still for a moment before they heard the rustling of branches coming from straight ahead. The brothers exchanged a glance and pulled out their guns, it was better to be safe than sorry. The first gunshot whizzed right past Frank's head and embedded itself in a nearby tree. Frank and Joe ducked quickly for cover and exchanged frustrated glances.

The second bullet hit the ground right in front of Frank's feet causing him to stumble backward in surprise. He caught himself on his hands and his gun was sent flying out of his grasp as he struggled to steady himself in the deep snow.

Joe rushed over to stand in front of his defenseless brother as Frank searched desperately for his missing gun. "Come out!" Joe commanded in a voice laced with authority. "The FBI are on their way, give yourself up!"

There was laughter from the bushes to his right and Joe swung his aim in that direction, "really? Your precious FBI is going to fly to your rescue in all of this snow?"

"Where's Nancy?" Frank demanded, momentarily pausing in his search for his weapon.

"With Krieger," the man replied and let out another evil laugh, "I bet by this time they've already started the fun. I'm sad to miss out on it but as soon as I deal with you two I can go back and join the party."

Frank growled in frustration at the man's words and resumed his search for his gun at a frantic pace. The light from the moon was barely able to penetrate the leafy canopy of the forest.

"If he harms her…" Frank said but didn't finish as he noticed a glint of metal under a nearby bush. He moved toward it and began to dig his gun out of the snow.

"Oh, it will be awhile until he gets to the serious harming," the voice replied, "for the time being he plans to…bask in the wonderment that is our beautiful Nancy."

"What?" Joe asked angrily. His eyes searched the bushes, if he could only get a clear shot…hell, it didn't have to be a clear shot, any shot would do, he could take it and they could get to Nancy.

"Nancy is a very beautiful woman," the man said conversationally. Joe shifted slightly behind the tree he was using for cover and the man shot another bullet that narrowly missed Joe's left arm. "I can see you quite clearly when you move," he announced as if bored.

"Well, I'm not that worried about it because you're a pretty lousy shot!" Joe called back, it was a cheap blow but it brought Joe a small measure of satisfaction.

The man laughed again, cackled was more like it, "Joe…Krieger has told me a lot about you. You're rather tasty yourself. Maybe I won't kill you…I'll keep you as a plaything for awhile."

Frank watched as his brother's face hardened and he felt the bile rise up in his own throat, "anyway, where was I?" the man continued, "ah yes, the beautiful Nancy. I sure hope there is some left for me after I have my way with the two of you."

"You sick bastard," Frank murmured, the man apparently did not hear him and continued talking. Frank motioned to Joe that he was going to try and crawl closer to the bush and get a better shot of the man. Joe gave an imperceptible nod and moved slightly to distract the man. Sure enough another bullet whizzed past Joe's head, barely missing him.

"So tell me something," Joe called out trying to keep him talking as he watched Frank slowly crouch down and move closer to their attacker.

Joe's words were drowned out as Frank focused solely on getting a clear shot of the man behind the bushes. He paused as the man came into view, crouched partly behind a tree with his gun trained toward Joe. Frank crept closer and took a flying leap to tackle the man to the forest floor.

Having the element of surprise worked in Frank's favor for only a moment. The man he was currently struggling with was extremely well built and used to fighting. The man's gun had been knocked to the side when Frank hit him and the two were now wrestling for possession of Frank's gun.

"Joe!" Frank cried out, afraid that he was losing the upper hand. The two men rolled over the forest floor and Frank could hear Joe crashing toward them. He only needed to keep the gun away from the man for a moment more until Joe came…Joe _had _to get there in time.

Frank grunted as the man flipped Frank on his back and pinned him to the ground, the gun stuck between them. Frank could feel his fingers screaming in protest as the man crushed them mercilessly between his own. Frank's eyes widened in shock as the gun went off between them.

"Frank!" Joe cried as he reached the two men. Afraid that his brother had been shot Joe reached down and roughly pulled the man off of Frank. "Frank, Frank! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Joe." Frank struggled to sit up and eyed the fallen man beside him who was breathing laboriously. "He shot himself." Frank said quietly.

"Idiot," Joe muttered.

"What should we do, we have to go after Nancy," Frank was clearly having a crisis of conscience. Help the bleeding, dying villain beside him or go after the woman he loved?

"Joe, you go back to the house…" Frank began but Joe cut him off.

"Yeah right, I'm not leaving you," Joe pulled Frank to his feet. "Whatever we do, we do together."

"Usually we do, but right now…" Frank was again cut off by a piercing scream that seemed to tear through the dark woods to cut at Frank's very flesh. "Nancy!" Frank cried.

"Nancy doesn't scream," Joe said worriedly, "Nancy is not usually a screamer."

"I know," Frank rushed forward, "Joe…we can't just leave him…." Frank motioned toward the struggling man even as he was turning toward the sound of Nancy's scream.

"Fine," Joe said quickly, "Don't worry, I'll catch up," Joe motioned for his brother to get going before staring at the bleeding man at his feet.

Frank didn't hesitate but instead ran into the woods. He gripped his gun tightly and barely registered the pain as tree branches slapped his face and sent snow sliding down his jacket. All he could think about was getting to Nancy and hoping it wasn't too late.

* * *

"Ah, it would seem your saviors have been…shall we say, waylaid," Krieger smiled hugely and Nancy shivered as she saw remnants of Giamatti's madness in the smile. While Giamatti had been completely insane, Krieger seemed to have harnessed his insanity into a tightly wound coil. It was terrifying to look at, not knowing when Krieger was going to snap.

"I see you are prepared for the weather," Krieger said sarcastically and waved his gun at Nancy's thin jacket and tennis shoes. "The great Nancy Drew reduced to a shivering mess before I even get a chance to make you suffer. It's almost too easy."

"Go to hell," Nancy said flippantly and tried unsuccessfully to stop a shiver from wracking her body. In truth, standing in the mounds of snow was causing her feet to go numb to the point where she could no longer feel them.

"Tough talk," Krieger murmured and stroked the gun in his hand reverently, "for someone who is all alone in the middle of the dark woods with nothing but a thin jacket and her two heroes…"

Another gunshot reverberated through the chilly woods and had Krieger frowning in concern and Nancy experiencing an odd mixture of hope and fear. Three gunshots meant that the first two hadn't killed both Frank and Joe…but a third could mean it had finished the job _or_ the Hardy's had gotten through Krieger's goon.

"Concerned?" Nancy taunted, "Your man is probably dead."

"No," Krieger growled, "he isn't."

"As you well know, the Hardy's don't die easily," Nancy pointed out.

"Shut up, I need to think!" Krieger growled.

"What? Did we interfere with your plans…again?" Nancy wrapped her arms around herself trying to warm her shivering body. Her pea coat was warm enough for a quick stroll in cold weather but it wasn't warm enough to be standing in the middle of a dark forest, late at night with mounds of snow all around.

"We need to move," Krieger motioned with his gun. "Walk ahead of me."

Nancy had no choice but to obey as Krieger kept his gun trained on her back and they began to walk further into the woods. They seemed to be walking downhill, toward the main road. Nancy tried to keep her mind off of her numb toes as they walked down the embankment that led to the road.

There was a truck haphazardly pulled off to the side of the road a few feet down from where they had come out of the woods, "you'll be driving us out of here, Ms. Drew."

Nancy looked at him in confusion, "but…"

"No!" Krieger screamed, "If the Hardy's have somehow managed to get away from Jones I want to at least have one of you. Now get in and drive!!"

Krieger opened the passenger side door and forced Nancy to climb across the front seat and climbed in after her. He turned to put the keys in the ignition and Nancy smashed her elbow into his face. He cried out in pain and rage as Nancy fumbled with her frozen fingers to open the door. She stumbled out of the truck and fell to her hands and knees in the dirty snow "get back here!" Krieger screamed.

Nancy almost laughed out of sheer giddiness at the ridiculousness of that statement, did he really expect her to turn around and climb back in the truck?

With a lot of effort Nancy pushed herself up off the road and ran for the safety of the woods as she heard Krieger slam out of the truck behind her. He let out a scream of rage and went crashing into the woods behind Nancy.

Nancy could feel herself getting lost: was she going toward the house or away from it? Her sense of direction was hazy as she set herself on a course for where she hoped the house was. She stumbled along in the snow and worried that she no longer felt cold, wasn't that a bad sign?

She paused behind a tree to catch her breath and listened intently to the sounds around her: it was silent. Krieger was either no longer chasing after her or he was moving very, very quietly. Nancy took a deep breath and cupped her cold hands around her mouth to blow on them for warmth.

She took a quick glance behind her and then set out again in what she hoped was the direction of the house. This time she moved slowly and not at the frenzied, terrified pace of before. If Krieger was listening to find out where she was she didn't want to make it any easier on him.

She looked behind her every few seconds, afraid that Krieger would sneak up behind her. She was just looking over her shoulder for another look when Krieger came bursting out of the underbrush and tackled her from the side.

Nancy couldn't help it: she screamed.

* * *

Joe stared helplessly at the wounded man at his feet and hated himself for wanting to abandon him and go after his brother. He ducked quickly behind a tree when he heard the unmistakable signs of someone approaching.

He sighed in relief when he saw that it was only Bernie, carrying a rifle. Bernie came crashing through the underbrush and stumbled across the fallen man, "Good Lord!" he bellowed.

"Bernie," Joe said getting up from his hiding place.

"My boy, what is going on here?"

"Bernie, we told you to stay inside if anything happened…" Joe said.

"Do you really think that if I hear gunshots coming from _my_ woods I'm not going to do anything?" Bernie said indignantly.

"I guess not," Joe said distractedly. If he left now he'd be able to catch up with Frank soon, "Okay, I don't have time to explain what happened here. I need you to get back to your house, call the FBI…call my father…call the local police…get _someone_ here. This man needs medical attention but should still be considered dangerous," Joe pointed at the bleeding figure on the ground.

"Mary Anne has already called…" Bernie began.

"Good, get this guy some help and get yourself back to your house. I have to go after Frank," Joe didn't wait for an answer and instead turned and ran as quickly as possible in the direction Frank had gone.

* * *

**Not a very long chapter but…all I can say is: I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling very creative and felt I needed to end this chapter before it got any worse. Hopefully all of you writer's out there can understand where I'm coming from. :-/ Oh well, tomorrow is a new day, eh?**


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for your supportive comments, I really wasn't feeling that great about that last chapter and to hear that you guys enjoyed it was an immense relief. The end is in sight guys…probably only a few chapters to go! I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 34**

Mary Anne waited nervously for the phone to pick up as she listened to the third ring, "hello?" a groggy voice finally answered.

"Hello, my name is Mary Anne Shoemaker and I run the Inn your sons have been staying at during the snow storm," Mary Anne clutched the phone tightly to her ear as she glanced nervously out of her bedroom window. Bernie had left her shortly after she had called Nancy's partner Michael and wasn't back yet.

"What's going on?" Fenton asked, whose voice sounding considerably more alert upon hearing who it was.

"I believe your sons and Nancy Drew may be in trouble. My husband and I heard gunshots coming from the woods and they aren't in their rooms. Bernie went in to investigate but he hasn't returned," Mary Anne concentrated on calming her shaking hands. This was not at all like an episode of _Alias_.

"Okay," Fenton said slowly, "okay. Are you safe?"

"Yes, I think so. I'm in my bedroom with the door locked." Mary Anne looked worriedly at her bedroom door to make double sure that it was indeed, locked.

"Okay," Fenton repeated again, "hide yourself as best as you can and when your husband returns make him hide with you. Have you called the local police yet?"

"N-n-no," Mary Anne stammered, "Nancy told us to call her partner at the FBI f-first and then to call you."

"She was exactly right. As soon as we hang up I want you to call the local police, alright?" Fenton said in a calming voice.

"Yes, yes I can do that," Mary Anne nodded her head and peered out of her second floor window once more. "Oh! There's Bernie!" she cried as she saw her husband come walking out of the woods. He was dragging a man with him who appeared to be hurt, "he's got someone with him…and he's bleeding!"

"What?" Fenton asked sharply, "Is it Frank? Joe?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell from this angle," Mary Anne continued trying to get a better look at the wounded figure. "Oh!" she cried as the light from the back porch illuminated the fallen man's face.

"Who is it? Is it one of my sons?" Fenton cried anxiously.

"No, no it's a man I've never seen before," Mary Anne watched as her husband dragged the man up the back porch and toward the kitchen sliding glass door. Mary Anne dashed across the room to her bedroom door, prepared to go down and help Bernie.

Fenton sighed in relief before saying quickly, "don't leave your bedroom!"

Mary Anne paused with her hand on the door handle, "why?"

"It's not safe," Fenton told her.

"But my husband needs my help," Mary Anne unlocked her bedroom door and dashed down the stairs to find her husband had laid the bleeding man on the kitchen table. "I'm going to try and help this man while we wait for somebody, anybody to get here. Hurry," Mary Anne clicked off the phone and rushed over to her husband, completely forgetting to call the local police.

"Are you alright?" she cried and ran her hands along his face and arms, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Bernie grumbled, "I should go back out there and help those boys."

"No!" Mary Anne cried.

"Mary Anne, I have to…" Bernie began but he was cut off by his wife.

Mary Anne put her hands on her hips and fixed her husband with her best glare, "Bernard Alan Shoemaker, you are doing no such thing. The FBI is already on their way as well as those boys's father. You will stay in this house, with me and wait for the proper authorities to arrive. You will _not_ go gallivanting off into those woods like some tragic hero. Do you know what happens to tragic heroes Bernard?" when he didn't respond her eyes narrowed further and she stamped her foot in frustration, "_do you?_"

"No," Bernie mumbled, the great brute of a man was thoroughly chastised and wilting under his wife's glare.

"They _die_ Bernie, they die. They don't call them tragic heroes for nothing," feeling that her point had been made Mary Anne turned to the man currently bleeding all over her mother's table. "Now get me some water and gauze," she demanded and Bernie moved quickly to obey.

* * *

Frank's heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear anything over his jack hammering pulse. He stopped abruptly and tried to steady his breathing so he could listen to the noises around him.

The woods were ominously silent.

Frank shivered and thought, _'If I'm cold in my thick winter jacket…how cold is Nancy?'_ Because the image of Nancy hurt, scared and cold was too much for Frank to think about he shook his head to clear out the mental image.

"Where are you, Nancy?" Frank whispered out loud. He strained his ears for any signs of a struggle or worse, someone who was injured but the woods remained stubbornly silent.

Frank growled in frustration. He had half expected a convenient sign to pop up and show him the way or some divine inspiration to strike. Instead, he was left to pick a direction on his own and hope that it brought him closer to Nancy.

He looked around him in all directions and decided to head straight. Hopefully it was the right choice; his fear for Nancy was beginning to overwhelm him.

* * *

Nancy felt the air rush out of her lungs as Krieger's body slammed into hers. She struggled to catch her breath as Krieger pinned her body beneath his own the snowy floor of the woods. Krieger straddled Nancy and held both of her arms pinned to the ground.

"You're so feisty!" Krieger grinned and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "It's one of the many things I love about you and one of the things I hate."

Nancy remained stubbornly silent as she struggled with Krieger's iron-like grip. The snow was slowly soaking her clothes and the few remaining places on Nancy's body that had not been frozen, were quickly catching up with the rest of her body.

"What, no words from the tough-talking Nancy Drew?" Krieger grinned as Nancy continued to fight his hold on her, "that's right, keep fighting. I like it when they fight."

Nancy had no other choice: she spit on him. Krieger growled and backhanded her across the face. "You're swine," Nancy growled as she felt blood well up inside her mouth.

Krieger simply laughed, "This was not how I pictured the ending of you, Nancy. I must admit, I had a much grander plan in mind for you. After all, this night has been 5 years in the making."

"You need to get a hobby," Nancy replied, still struggling.

Krieger laughed again, "You still do not understand? You _are_ my hobby, Nancy." Krieger shook his head, "it's a little disappointing that you don't fully comprehend your situation. Oh well…have you enjoyed your week of suffering?"

"I've been through worse," Nancy replied flippantly.

Krieger backhanded Nancy across her other cheek and resumed his hold on both of her arms. "You…you!" he said angrily. He took a few calming breaths before continuing, "No. I understand you are trying to make me angry."

"Not really," Nancy replied.

"NO! You suffered greatly this last week! I KNOW you have!" Krieger's voice reverberated throughout the clearing.

"If you think about it, none of us are seriously injured. All we have are a few cuts and bruises, aside from Ned of course, but you sorely overestimated my feelings for him and underestimated my feelings for Frank. You thought that seeing Ned would divide Frank and me. Well, you were wrong," Nancy hissed and tried to push off the ground with her legs to dislodge Krieger from on top of her. "The only real damage you've done is cause Frank to have to take on a car payment, but even that works in our favor. It was time he got a new car anyway."

The wild cry that Krieger let out was enough to have Nancy recoiling in fear. The rage that burned in his eyes was unlike anything Nancy had ever seen before and she knew that it was an image that would haunt her for a long time. Using her fear Nancy found newfound strength and was able to roll Krieger off of her so she was now on top of him. He reacted quickly and soon they were rolling over the forest floor struggling for the upper hand.

Krieger landed a hard blow to Nancy's middle and her ribs screamed in protest. She gasped as she felt the air rush out of her lungs for the second time that night.

Krieger used the opportunity to flip Nancy on her stomach and pin her underneath him once again. He yanked her arm behind her painfully and whispered breathlessly in her ear, "You will die tonight."

"I d-d-d-doubt it," Nancy replied shivers wracking her body.

"No, you will die here tonight," Krieger replied confidently and ran his free hand down the side of her body, "but not until we have a little fun."

Nancy felt her stomach roll as Krieger's hand ran its way up and down her body slowly. Still twisting her arm behind her agonizingly Krieger reached up and twisted Nancy's face painfully to the side. He pressed his lips in a demanding kiss on Nancy's own frozen blue lips before pulling away and grinning. "Fun," he murmured.

Nancy felt the fear grip her heart and hysteria threaten to bubble up as she struggled to think clearly. The only thing she could think of was Frank.

Frank stopped, was that a shout? He listened intently and heard another cry of rage coming from somewhere to his right. He moved in that direction as quickly as possible and soon the sounds of a struggle could be heard in the cold night air.

The scene he found himself stumbling upon had Frank feeling anger unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Krieger was kissing Nancy, whose clothes we soaking from head to toe and who he could see was visibly shivering.

"Freeze," Frank said and pointed his gun at the back of Krieger's head. His hand remained steady as he pointed the gun at Krieger who was sitting quite still. Frank's eyes were cold as he watched Krieger stay where he was, "Get up," he ordered angrily.

"Frank, how good of you to join us," Krieger turned to fix his gaze upon Frank.

"I said get up, or I'll shoot," Frank flipped off the safety on his gun.

"You'd never shoot me, you can't kill people Frank. It's not in your nature," Krieger had still not moved from on top of Nancy. She was facing away from Frank so he had no way of knowing how badly injured she was.

"That's were you're wrong," Frank replied in a steely voice.

"Then do it, kill me," Krieger said mockingly and got slowly to his feet. "Shoot me," he rose slowly to his feet and held out his arms. "Shoot me," he said again tauntingly.

"No. Now step away from Nancy," Frank growled.

"I don't think so, Frank. You're going to have to shoot me." Krieger looked down at Nancy's still form, "she could probably use medical attention. I roughed her up some and she's been shivering like that for quite some time."

Frank looked down at Nancy's shivering form, she hadn't moved yet. "Your girlfriend is probably dying," Krieger said conversationally.

'_I need you Joe!' _Frank thought wildly in his head, _'please Joe! I can't help Nancy and stop Krieger by myself!'_ He realized now how stupid it was that he had come after Krieger and Nancy alone. He had no way of tying Krieger up and he wasn't about to shoot the man in cold blood, even if he did deserve it.

"Now what do you do, young Frank?" Krieger said mockingly, "do you shoot me in cold blood to help save your girlfriend or do you stand here, like an idiot, waiting for help to arrive?"

Frank could feel his finger start to squeeze the trigger as if someone else was doing it for him. Nancy stirred on the ground and moaned quietly which caused Frank to waver in his focus on Krieger. Krieger used the opportunity to turn and run into the woods. He was stopped however, by Joe, who stepped out from behind a tree, panting slightly.

"Help arrived," Joe said simply and smiled thinly at Frank, "its okay bro, I'm here."

Frank sighed in relief, he had never been so happy to see his brother, "thank you," he said and rushed over to Nancy. He pulled her into his arms, "Nancy?" he said softly and laid his hand against her ice cold cheek. "Nancy?" he tried again and her unfocused eyes opened a little.

She began to struggle wildly when she felt the strong arms around her, "No!" she cried out in alarm, "no!"

"Nancy! It's okay, it's me Frank," Frank held her close to him and Nancy's hands came up to grip the front of Frank's jacket, her frozen fingers struggling for purchase.

"Frank," she mumbled and her eyes focused on his face.

"It's okay Nancy." Frank said, trying to sound calmer than he felt. He took off his thick winter jacket and pulled off Nancy's soaked coat and sweatshirt and wrapped her in his jacket.

"It's a-a-a little c-c-old o-o-out here," Nancy's teeth chattered loudly.

"I know, Nan, I know," Frank felt a lump form in his throat as he lifted Nancy into his arms. "We're going to get you back to the house so you can warm up."

"O-o-o-okay," Nancy murmured and laid her head on Frank's chest in exhaustion.

Frank turned toward his brother, "are you okay with him?"

"Yeah, I've got him," Joe said grimly. Frank nodded and turned in the direction of the house, murmuring nonsense to help calm not only Nancy but himself as well. "It's going to be okay…we'll take a long trip somewhere warm this summer, would you like that? What about California? I've always liked the west coast."

Joe watched as his brother walked slowly away before turning to face the criminal in front of him, "Move it, Krieger," Joe growled.

Krieger didn't budge, "This must all be very anticlimactic for you, Joe."

"Not really," Joe shrugged, "you're going back to prison-for good this time and the people I love are all alive and well. Case closed."

"Yes, but you're the kind of man who would want me to die. You would have shot me. You're not like your brother. Why don't you just shoot me?" Krieger hissed.

Joe was silent for a moment as he thought about this. _Was_ he the kind of person who would have shot Krieger in cold blood without any qualms while Frank was the type of man who couldn't? He thought of Vanessa and what she would think of him if he _were_ that kind of person. He realized then that she wouldn't love him if he was. He felt a weight lift off of his shoulders he hadn't realized had been there, "you're not very good at this stalking thing, are you?"

"What?" Krieger growled.

"If you were any good at it, you'd know I'm _not_ the kind of person who would just shoot you because I knew I could get away with it," Krieger's eyes narrowed, "On the other hand; I'm not above a little payback." Joe cocked his arm back and punched Krieger squarely in the face. "Now _that_ was satisfying." Joe grinned as Krieger wiped the blood from his nose. "It would be in your best interest to start moving now," Joe said simply and motioned with his gun, "I've been in a lot of brawls in my time and believe me, I tend to win."

Krieger turned slowly and began walking in the direction Frank had gone. Joe felt a small measure of satisfaction, the man who had been hell-bent on terrorizing them had been broken by a single sentence. _'I guess Frank is right, sometimes fighting _isn't_ the answer!' _Joe chuckled softly to himself, _'yeah, but fighting sure does get the job done.'_


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Hello everyone! I can't believe I've reached 35 chapters! WOW! I think that after this chapter there is going to be just one left…but you never know, I could stretch it into two (I have a problem with separation anxiety…lol). Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and thank you so much for the amazing reviews!

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 35**

Fenton stared at the dead phone in his hand and swore softly before turning to face his wife. "There's trouble," Fenton began, "all I know is that the boys are in the woods and so is Nancy and they're in trouble."

Laura gasped and raised her hands to her lips, "what are we going to do? How are we going to reach them?"

"I don't know yet," Fenton walked over to stand in front of his wife and gripped both of her arms, "but I promise you, I will go and bring our sons and Nancy back safe and sound."

Fenton pulled Laura into a fierce hug and held her for several moments. They were interrupted by the ringing telephone. Fenton quickly reached for it and said hello. "Fenton!"

"Carson?" Fenton asked confused.

"It took me forever to find your number, I thought I had it right here…anyway, Fenton. Nancy is in trouble."

Fenton was surprised, "how do you know?"

"Wait, you already know?" Carson asked.

"Of course I know, but how do you know?" Fenton smiled ruefully at their exchange.

"Nancy and I were on the phone and she said, 'Dad, I have to go my battery is about to die'." Carson said simply.

"Okay," Fenton replied, not quite understanding what his friend was trying to tell him.

"She was clearly trying to get rid of me without worrying me!" Carson said in exasperation. "Anyway, I've booked a flight to New York. I'll be there tomorrow morning. Now, what do you know that I don't?"

"All I know is that Nancy, Frank and Joe are out in the woods upstate and so is Krieger, possibly." Fenton began pulling clothes out of his drawer to get changed.

"Okay, okay," Carson said clearly trying to think everything through. "Are you on your way?"

"I will be as soon as I figure out how to get through all this blasted snow," Fenton said gruffly, "of course there's going to be a major snowstorm. Of course!" he said angrily and yanked out a pair of socks. The phone started to beep, indicating that there was another call coming through. "Carson, I have to go. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning," Carson replied and Fenton clicked over to the waiting call and said hello.

"Fenton Hardy?"

"Yes, this is him," Fenton replied.

"This is Agent Michael Knight, Nancy's partner at the FBI."

"Agent Knight, do you know anything?" Fenton shot a worried look at his wife.

"I know what you know, which is next to nothing. I'm calling to let you know that…well; I'm going to be breaking procedure here."

"How do you mean?"

"I've been given operational control of this case for the time being so we can focus on getting Nancy and yours sons out of there safely," Knight paused, "I've sent a helicopter to the Bayport Airport and it should be arriving in…ten minutes. I myself am already airborne with additional Agents. Our ETA for the Seashore Resort is…just under an hour."

"Thank you, Agent Knight." Fenton was already changing out of his pajamas and throwing on a pair of shoes, "you know, it's not often I find myself happy to be working with the FBI. This is one of those times when I _am_ happy and very thankful."

"You're welcome. I figured you have two people over there you love and care about too and you're just as stuck by this snow as we are. Can you make it to Bayport Airport in ten minutes?"

"I can make it there in seven," Fenton said and grabbed his wallet and keys.

* * *

"Oh! What happened?" Mary Anne cried as she pulled open the back slider for Frank.

Frank side-stepped into the house, careful not to hit Nancy on the door frame, "she's freezing cold and shivering, I need to get her warmed up."

"Okay, let's take her back to your room," Mary Anne turned to her husband who was standing next to the man on the kitchen table. The man appeared to still be alive; his side was heavily wrapped in gauze. "You watch him," she ordered her husband and he nodded.

Frank followed Mary Anne down the hallway to his and Nancy's room and stepped inside, "we need to get her out of these clothes." Frank muttered and set Nancy on the edge of the bed and began to remove Nancy's soaked tennis shoes and socks.

"I'll be right back," Mary Anne said rushing out of the room. She returned a few moments later carrying a night gown.

Mary Anne stopped Frank when he moved to take off Nancy's pants, "Frank, there is a time when a woman wants her boyfriend to see her naked. Now is not that time."

"What?" Frank said incredulously, "I've seen…"

"Honey, we women have our pride. Go out to the hall closet and grab all of the extra blankets you find there," she turned back to Nancy as Frank quickly left the room. Very carefully she removed Nancy's clothing and tugged the borrowed night gown over her head.

"Frank?" Nancy mumbled as Mary Anne gently moved Nancy so she was lying with her head on the pillow.

"No honey, its Mary Anne," she said soothingly and bit back a gasp as she saw the bruises that lined Nancy's body. It was a good thing she had sent that boy out of the room for this.

"Where's Frank?" Nancy tried to sit up but Mary Anne pushed her gently back on the bed and brought the covers up to wrap around her shivering body. She tucked the sheet in tight around her and then brought the rest of the blankets up to cover her.

Frank rushed back into the room carrying a pile of blankets which he began to drape over Nancy. Mary Anne went into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, which she wrapped around Nancy's wet hair. "Is she going to be okay?" Frank asked worriedly.

Mary Anne turned to give Frank a reassuring smile, "oh honey, she's going to be just fine." Mary Anne hoped sincerely that she was right, "she just needs to rest and get warmed up. As soon as she wakes up from her little nap we'll get some warm soup in her and she'll be as good as new."

Frank was still skeptical but he nodded silently. He was staring so intently at Nancy's sleeping form that he didn't realize Mary Anne was asking him something, "what?" he asked.

"I asked you where your brother is," Mary Anne repeated.

"Oh!" Frank said looking alarmed, "he was right behind us I thought." Frank looked worriedly at the bedroom door and then glanced at Nancy.

"Don't worry, I'll stay with her while you figure out where your brother is," Mary Anne smiled and sat on the edge of the bed with Nancy.

Frank rushed out of the room and back to the kitchen where he saw Bernie and Joe, with their heads bent together as if in deep conversation.

"I think we've done a pretty good job here, Joe," Bernie said looking at Krieger who they had tied to a chair.

"Yes, I agree…two different kinds of rope should be sufficient but…for some reason, I feel we're missing out on a golden opportunity here," Joe rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"How do you mean?" Bernie asked innocently. It couldn't have been clearer that Bernie knew exactly what Joe meant.

"I just think that simply tying him up isn't enough," Joe stated and looked pointedly at Krieger who was snarling. "He really tried his best to make us all suffer this last week," Joe patted Krieger on the top of his head condescendingly, "really, you tried your best. That's all anyone can ask for." Krieger shook with rage.

"Joe!" Frank said from across the kitchen, "I thought you were right behind us!"

"Oh, Krieger and I had a little chat," Joe said nonchalantly.

"I can see that," Frank said noting the blood on Krieger's face. Not only was his nose bleeding but he had several scratches on his face.

Noticing the direction of his brother's gaze Joe explained, "I really did have a nice little chat with him, but I couldn't resist punching him. He was asking for it," Joe shrugged, "and he happened to run into a lot of branches on our way back."

Frank laughed, "I'm glad to hear it. Are you guys going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Joe said absentmindedly, his mind already back on the task at hand, "what do you say, Bernie? Should we shove snow down his pants or something?"

Frank didn't hear Bernie's enthusiastic response because he was already rushing back toward the bedroom. He opened the door and stepped inside, "how is she?"

"She's fine, resting peacefully now," Mary Anne said standing up. She pulled the desk chair over to the side of the bed, "why don't you sit here for awhile and I'll go get you some warm soup. You must be cold too."

Frank shrugged but didn't protest and Mary Anne excused herself from the room. Frank sat in the chair beside Nancy's bed and gripped her hand between his. He was relieved to feel that she seemed to be warming up.

Frank took a calming breath; the events of the night were starting to catch up to him. The nauseating fear he had felt while trying to find Nancy in the snowy woods, the desperation he felt after finding her and being unable to help her and finally, getting her back to the house safe only to feel that rush of fear again for his brother's safety.

Sometimes, it could all become too much.

Frank sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He watched Nancy sleep and thought of how lucky he was to have her back in his life. "It sure has been a crazy first week, hasn't it Nan?" he murmured and smiled a little, "it wouldn't be you and me if there wasn't an explosion, beating and kidnapping mixed in amongst finally figuring out how we feel about each other."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Mary Anne asked with her hands on her hips. She had just walked back into the kitchen to find her husband and Joe sneaking in from the backyard.

Both men hastily hid something behind their backs and grinned sheepishly, "nothing!" Joe said brightly.

Bernie groaned, "Boy, you have a lot to learn about women," he shook his head, "you _never_ say 'nothing'." He turned to his wife and tried a winning smile, "we just wanted some fresh air honey."

Joe rolled his eyes, "like _that's_ any better? You really think she's going to believe that?"

"What do you have behind your backs?" Mary Anne demanded.

"Nothing," Bernie said and shrugged.

"You just said not to…" Joe cried indignantly and Mary Anne cut him off.

"Show it to me," she waited a beat, "go on!" Joe and Bernie exchanged glances and slowly pulled large pitchers filled with snow out from behind their backs. "Just what were you planning on doing with pitchers full of snow?" she demanded.

"Well…um…" Bernie began and looked helplessly at Joe.

"Nothing?" Joe tried with one of his trademark grins.

Mary Anne shook her finger at the two men, "you take that and you put it right back where you found it. Honestly!" she said and seemed to notice the snarling Krieger tied to one of her chairs for the first time. "And you!" she pointed an angry finger at him too, "you just stop your bellyaching. I'll hear none of that."

Krieger's face hardened but he did indeed, stop his bellyaching.

Bernie and Joe came rushing back in from outdoors, their pitchers empty, "do you hear that?" Bernie asked his wife.

Mary Anne paused in getting some soup heated on the stove, "I don't…oh! There it is. What is that?"

"Helicopters!" Joe announced excitedly.

"Oh good," Mary Anne said clapping her hands together, "they can take that man off of my mother's table and take that thing," she jerked her thumb at Krieger, "to prison."

"Exactly," Joe said grinning. "I wonder where they're going to land."

"The main road probably," Bernie said in excitement, "do you think I'll get to look at one?" he asked Joe.

Before Joe could answer Mary Anne said kindly, "dear, it's probably the FBI. Don't you think they're going to be a little too busy to show you around their flying machine?"

"It's called a 'helicopter'," Bernie said glumly, "and maybe they'll have time."

Mary Anne patted Bernie's cheek soothingly, "perhaps if you ask very nicely."

Bernie's eyes brightened at the idea, "maybe I'll just wait for them out front," he said and took off down the main hallway.

Joe took a seat at one of the dining room chairs and crossed his leg over his knee, assuming a relaxed position, "hey there," he said with a smirk at Krieger. "Having a good night?"

Krieger growled but remained silent and cast a weary eye at Mary Anne as she crossed the kitchen to set a bowl of soup in front of Joe. "Eat up;" she told him, "I'm going to bring a bowl to your brother."

"Thank you," Joe murmured and took a big bite. "Delicious," he said and smiled at Krieger.

Krieger watched as Mary Anne left the room, "reminds me of my mother," Krieger mumbled under his breath. He looked at Joe eating his soup longingly.

"It's too bad for you that Mary Anne is disinclined to feed murdering, crazy, psychopaths. This soup is great," Joe said and took another large bite.

* * *

Frank looked up as the sound of the bedroom door opening caught his attention. "Dad?" he said and stood up from his chair. "Dad!" he cried again and rushed forward to give Fenton a hug. "How did you get here?"

"Nancy's partner called me and offered me a ride on one of the helicopters," Fenton shrugged, "of course I took it. It was a better option than the one I _was_ entertaining, which was to have your friend Chet drive me here on his tractor."

Frank let out a shaky laugh, "effective but slow."

"Which is why I'm glad that Agent Knight called me," Fenton glanced at Nancy, "how is she?"

"She's better, I think," Frank turned as sat down by the bed again; "it was scary for awhile, Dad."

Fenton came over and stood behind Frank, placing his hand on his son's shoulder, "I know son. We'll have someone take a look at her." Right as he finished saying that Michael walked into the room closely followed by another agent.

"How is she?" Michael asked the concern for his partner clearly evident in his voice.

"Better I think," Frank answered.

"Agent Scott here is a trained EMT, he'll take a look at her," the agent who had followed Michael into the room moved forward and began examining Nancy.

A few moments later he stepped back, "she appears to be fine. She has some light bruising along her torso and right arm and her body temperature appears to be normal returning to normal. I recommend she get as much rest as possible over the next few days and when she wakes up she has something warm to eat, like soup. A warm shower at this point would be okay as well."

"Thank you," Michael said to the man and Agent Scott nodded his head and left the room.

"Bruising?" Frank said confused, "I didn't know there was any bruising."

Fenton squeezed Frank's shoulder and turned to Michael, "now what?"

"Well, we need to transfer the gun shot victim out of here and get Krieger into custody as soon as possible," Michael answered.

"I'd like to assist with that," Joe said from the doorway. He saw that Michael was about to protest so he continued, "without my brother, Nancy and I you wouldn't have anyone to _bring_ into custody. Seeing as Nancy is going to be laid up for awhile and Frank's going to be hard to move from that spot, it looks like I'm going to be the one who gets to help bring him in."

"Fine," Michael nodded and turned to Fenton, "are you coming?"

"No, I think I'll stay here," Fenton answered.

"Very well, let's go," Michael said to Joe and with a last look at Nancy left the room.

"Good luck, Joe." Frank said rising to go to his brother.

"You too," he gave Frank a hug and then turned to embrace his father, "see you back in Bayport."

A few minutes later Fenton made an excuse and left Frank alone with Nancy once more. Before long Frank finally gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep with his head resting on the bed and Nancy's hand clutched in his.

* * *

Nancy woke slowly and blinked against the bright early dawn light. She tried to raise her hand to cover her eyes but found it was trapped in someone else's. She looked down and smiled when she saw Frank sleeping uncomfortably in the chair. _'He sure has a habit of doing that,'_ Nancy thought to herself as she remembered when they had been in the hospital after the warehouse fire.

She tried to recall the events of the previous night and she shuddered at the memory of Krieger with his hands on her.

"Nancy?" Frank said groggily and lifted his head to look at her, "you're awake!"

"Yeah," Nancy croaked, "do you have any water?" Frank reached for the glass on the bedside table and helped her take a sip, "thanks," she murmured and let her head fall back on the comfy pillows. "Are all of these necessary?" she asked plucking at the ten or so blankets piled on top of her, "I'm a little warm."

Frank chuckled, "believe me, they were necessary last night." He pulled the extra blankets off and then sat down again. "How are you feeling?"

"Groggy," Nancy decided, "and a little fuzzy brained. I can only remember bits of last night. Krieger put his hands…" but Nancy found that she couldn't finish.

"Shh," Frank said soothingly and pulled Nancy into his arms, "its okay. He's in jail. You're safe." Nancy rested her head on Frank's solid shoulder and sighed, "He'll never hurt you again." Frank promised and ran his hand over the back of Nancy's hair.

Nancy pulled away a little and smiled into Frank's eyes, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Frank replied and kissed Nancy softly and held onto her for a few minutes.

"Now that that's settled, get out of that chair and get into bed," Nancy ordered and lay back on the pillows. Frank's eyebrows rose, "not in that way. Sheesh, I'm recovering here. I meant that I can't stand the sight of you sleeping in that chair. Let's take a nap together," Nancy could barely stifle a yawn.

Frank climbed into the other side of the bed and pulled Nancy into his arms. "Tell me about Krieger," Nancy said yawning widely.

"It's not much of a bedtime story," Frank said pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Nancy laid her head on Frank's shoulder and sighed, "Tell it to me anyway, what happened while I was asleep?"

Frank started the long story. It was a few minutes before he realized Nancy had fallen asleep in his arms, "good night, Nancy," he murmured and closed his eyes.

* * *


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Alright guys, it looks like this is going to be the last chapter! I'm so excited about my next installment (yes, this is going to be a series) that I've already written the first chapter of that and I haven't even started the last chapter of this one! lol. Thank you, thank you THANK YOU! to everyone who has reviewed over the course of this story. Your reviews were motivating and oftentimes helped me figure out which direction I wanted to take with the story.

Part three (the first part is that oneshot I wrote) is still untitled but will probably be posted tomorrow or the day after. If I see any of you over at the next story, thank you so much for reading Second Chances and I can't wait to start the next journey with you! I promise the next one is going to be a fun ride (well, hopefully)! If not, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my story I _really _appreciate it!

Now, what to write and how to end it? :)

**Second Chances**

**Chapter 36**

"They're like little kids," Vanessa said as she watched Bernie and Joe rush forward to gawk at the helicopter in front of them.

"I know," Nancy smiled at Frank who had his arm around her, "its okay, you can go look at it too."

"Oh, that's okay…" Frank hesitated then smiled, "yeah, okay!" and he took off after his brother and Bernie.

"It was so nice of you to invite us here today, Nancy," Mary Anne said with a smile.

"It was the least I could do," Nancy smiled at the older woman, "after everything you've done for Frank, Joe and I."

"Oh, it was nothing. At the time it was rather terrifying but now that I look back on it, it was pretty fun!" Mary Anne giggled a little, "and you guys lied. This place is exactly like _Alias._"

It was two weeks after the capture of Krieger and Nancy had made a full recovery. It was when Joe told her how excited Bernie was about the helicopters that Nancy had come up with this idea. She pulled a few strings and got permission from Director Burr to bring the Hardy's, Vanessa, Bernie and Mary Anne to FBI headquarters for a limited tour.

Of course, the FBI had tours set up for the public and Nancy had taken them on that, but she had specifically asked permission to get to show the group the helicopters, just for Bernie.

Nancy had spent another day and night at the Seashore Resort with Frank before finally heading back to Bayport. Her father was at the Hardy home waiting for her when she arrived and she had never been happier to see him. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she missed seeing her father and how much she had needed him during that hectic week. Nancy smiled now at the memory.

Vanessa, Mary Anne and Nancy stood together and watched their men smile gleefully over what the women saw as merely a hunk of metal. "This thing is _sleek_," Joe said breathlessly, "I mean…_sleek,_" he turned to look imploringly at Vanessa, "honey? Can I get one? Please?"

"Sure…as soon as you let me get the Vera Wang…" Vanessa began but Joe cut her off.

"Done!" he cried and everyone laughed.

"You could have some serious fun with this," Bernie murmured and came to stand next to his wife.

"Don't you even think of asking _me_ for one of those Bernard, we're already married and so I don't have an expensive gown to use as leverage," Mary Anne smiled as her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"You know, you could if you wanted to," Bernie said with a mischievous grin.

"What are you talking about?" Mary Anne asked confused. She remained confused as Bernie lowered himself down on one knee. "What are you doing?"

"Mary Anne, you've given me the best years of my life. I've wanted to ask you this for some time but I've been waiting for the right opportunity. Who knows if this is it, but it sure feels right to me," Bernie reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a box. He flipped it open and pulled out the band inside, "Mary Anne, will you marry me again and make me the happiest man in the world for the second time?"

Vanessa let out a small shriek and clasped her hand to her mouth, her eyes watering. Joe came over and put his arm around her shoulders, grinning broadly. Nancy leaned in to Frank and smiled at the beautiful couple.

"Oh!" Mary Anne sniffled, "you adorable man! Of course I will!"

Bernie stood up and let out a whoop of joy and brought his wife into a huge bear hug, "we're getting married!" he cried.

"Not unless you put that ring on my finger, right now." Mary Anne said and grinned as Bernie slid the band on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly with the band that was already there.

"Congratulations you guys!" Joe cried and gave Mary Anne a huge hug and turned to shake Bernie's hand. They grinned at each other before finally laughing and pulling the other into a hug.

Everyone exchanged hugs and congratulations and Nancy and Vanessa bent to study the ring. "It's beautiful," Nancy breathed.

"He's done well, hasn't he?" Mary Anne lifted shining eyes onto her husband and smiled, "real well."

* * *

"Aren't Mary Anne and Bernie so cute?" Vanessa asked the group as they walked down the streets of New York. They had said their goodbyes to Bernie and Mary Anne back at FBI headquarters, they had been understandably eager to get home. "They make the greatest couple."

"Hey! I'd say we've got that contest pretty locked up," Joe said with a smiled and squeezed Vanessa's hand. She laughed and leaned up to give Joe a kiss.

"Take this right, guys," Nancy called from behind the love struck pair. "The grocery store I need to go to is up here on the right." Vanessa looked back at Nancy and winked.

"What's that all about?" Frank whispered, "Why did she wink at you?"

"I told Vanessa about this shop…" Nancy's voice trailed off and she smiled at Vanessa's cry of delight.

"A wedding store, look Joe!" she pulled Joe to the front door, "you guys get the stuff for lunch, we'll meet you guys outside in ten…make it twenty, minutes."

"Help!" Joe cried before Vanessa pulled him through the open shop door.

"That was sneaky of you, Drew," Frank said smiling.

"What? I simply told a friend that the grocery store I wanted to go to for our groceries for lunch happened to be next to a very beautiful wedding shop. I also mentioned that there was a café across the street and a dry cleaner next to that, I was just making conversation," she shrugged and walked into the small neighborhood grocery store.

"That was very nice of you," Frank said and grabbed her hand. "Now, what are we getting?"

She and Frank passed an enjoyable twenty minutes inside the family run grocery store and were entertained by the grizzled owner who told them about New York in the sixties, "sex, drugs and the Beatles!" he cried triumphantly.

They paid for their groceries and stepped back out onto the New York sidewalk. As expected, Joe and Vanessa were nowhere in sight. "I'm torn," Frank said thoughtfully, "should I go in and rescue my brother because I love him? Or, should I let him suffer awhile longer _because_ he's my brother?"

"A legitimate question," Nancy said nodding seriously, "one that will require a lot of thought."

"Yes, yes it will," Frank agreed. He smiled and leaned down to give Nancy a kiss, "you know something?"

"What?" Nancy asked.

"The last three weeks have been three of the best weeks of my life."

"Oh, Frank, you're such a softie," Nancy said teasingly and leaned in to give Frank a kiss of her own, "but I love that about you."

The door of the wedding shop opened just then and this time it was Joe pulling Vanessa outside, "no thanks!" he called over his shoulder, "we don't need to sign up for the newsletter!"

Vanessa grinned hugely at Joe, "thank you so much!" she said and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"That's all I get? My credit card is still smarting woman! I demand more!" Vanessa laughed and gave him what he asked for.

"What did you find?" Nancy asked when the two broke apart, "You don't have any bags."

"Oh, that's because they have to _ship_ the stuff to us. There was too much to carry," Joe said with a groan.

"Really?" Nancy asked in excitement, "tell me everything!" she and Vanessa linked arms and walked ahead of the boys down the street to Nancy's apartment.

"You should have seen her, Frank," Joe whispered in horror as they followed the girls, "she was like a woman possessed! I didn't think she had given the actual wedding much thought, but she knew _exactly_ what she wanted."

"Joe, I hate to break it to you…but a lot of women have been planning what they want for their wedding since they first walked Barbie and Ken down the aisle," Frank said and slapped Joe's back companionably.

"How do you know so much about women?" Joe asked as they walked up the steps to Nancy's apartment, "it's not like you've dated very many."

"Har har," Frank said and pushed his brother through the front door of Nancy's building.

* * *

"That was a fun day," Nancy said as she and Frank walked into his apartment later that evening. "Joe and Vanessa are so cute together and I'm so happy for Bernie and Mary Anne."

"I can't believe that Bernie asked me to be one of his groomsmen," Frank said shaking his head.

"I think you'll make a very handsome groomsman," Nancy said with a smile and slipped off her shoes, "maybe not as handsome as Joe," she said with a teasing smile and sat down on Frank's couch.

He sat down beside her and pulled her close, "hey! You're _my_ girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh, how could I have forgotten so quickly?" Nancy said with a laugh. She kissed him and curled her feet up on the couch, "I can't believe Mary Anne asked me to be her maid of honor. I've never been anyone's maid of honor before."

"You'll make a beautiful maid of honor," Frank said laying his lips on Nancy's temple.

"It was a very fun day," Nancy said again happily.

"Giamatti's trial starts next week," Frank mentioned nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Nancy shrugged.

"And Krieger's starts soon after," Frank said.

"Yeah," Nancy said again. She turned to look up at Frank, "are you ready to bury those bastards?"

Frank couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh, "There is no one else quite like you in the world Nancy Drew."

"Back atcha Hardy," Nancy said.

"Where are they keeping Giamatti and Krieger?" Frank asked.

"I can't tell you that, it's for FBI personnel only," Nancy replied haughtily.

"Excuse me?" Franks said, trying to sound hurt.

"You heard me, I can't tell you that information," Nancy reached over to grab the remote control but she was stopped when Frank grabbed her and began tickling her sides.

"I guess I'll just have to torture it out of you then!" he cried and grinned as Nancy laughed uncontrollably.

"I'm an FBI agent! I've been trained to withstand all different types of torture!" she cried.

"Tell me where they are! Tell me!" Frank said laughing.

"No! Never!" Nancy rolled off the couch and quickly put the coffee table between her and Frank, "Ha!" she cried triumphantly.

Frank switched tactics and started batting his eyelashes, "please? Pretty please?"

Nancy laughed, "no way. Those flirtatious tactics won't work on me."

"Well, that's okay," Frank said and leaned back on the couch, "your partner, really a nice fellow by the way, told me that Giamatti and Krieger are both in solitary confinement in some secret government facility. I bet him ten bucks I could get you to tell me, but it looks like I'm out ten dollars."

"You bet…I can't…you…" Nancy said in disbelief. "Well, really. I don't know whether I'm disappointed that you didn't get it out of me so that my pig of a partner is out ten bucks for betting on me or if I'm glad because my ridiculous boyfriend made the bet in the first place and is now short ten dollars."

"Either way, get back over here," Frank said patting the couch.

"What if I don't feel like it?" Nancy said pretending to be mad.

"I'll make it worth your while," Frank replied with a grin.

"Well, when you put it that way," Nancy said and walked around the coffee table. She reclaimed her seat beside Frank and rested her head on his shoulder. So many times in her life she had found herself in situations where she wished to be anywhere but where she was. Right now, with Frank, she found that there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this one folks! I hope you enjoyed the ride (looking back I realize it was a pretty bumpy one!). Thank you so much for reading! If you're interested, look for my new story in the next day or so!**


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